Amazon is looking to expand its network of cashierless bricks and mortar stores over the course of the year. The first Amazon Go store opened in Seattle earlier this year. And it is reported that as many as 6 more stores are in the offing. Some new shops are expected in Amazon’s hometown and others are expected to open in Los Angeles.
As they say of the Amazon Go concept:
Amazon Go is a new kind of store with no checkout required. We created the world’s most advanced shopping technology so you never have to wait in line. With our Just Walk Out Shopping experience, simply use the Amazon Go app to enter the store, take the products you want, and go! No lines, no checkout. (No, seriously.)
Our checkout-free shopping experience is made possible by the same types of technologies used in self-driving cars: computer vision, sensor fusion, and deep learning. Our Just Walk Out Technology automatically detects when products are taken from or returned to the shelves and keeps track of them in a virtual cart. When you’re done shopping, you can just leave the store. Shortly after, we’ll send you a receipt and charge your Amazon account.
– Amazon
The Amazon Go concept, whereby shoppers grab goods from the shelves and don’t have to go through a checkout, does sound futuristic. You need to clock in on arrival and have an Amazon account. But if you’re good there, you just fill your bag. The original store experienced difficulties, when the various gizmos that detect what you’re taking didn’t cope well, and that has delayed a further roll-out. But it does now look like Amazon has confidence enough to extend the chain and make further advances into the world of bricks and mortar grocery stores.
Would you use an Amazon Go shop if it was down the road?
