By Greg Bensinger
Amazon.com announced on Wednesday that it will push cashierless technology to more stores in the third party sector this year. The company is also reducing its reliance upon it for its own use.
Online retailer Amazon said that about 140 stores are using the “Just Walk Out” system. This allows shoppers to scan an application to enter a shop and then leave without paying. Amazon plans to more than double this number in the coming year.
The Information, a tech website in India, reported this month that The Information relied on humans to monitor customers while they were shopping.
Amazon stated in a press release that “computer vision algorithms” automatically generate receipts. Associates do not watch the live videos of customers to create them. It said that human reviewers were necessary for accuracy.
Amazon is planning to remove the Just Walk Out technology from its existing Fresh supermarkets.
It will instead rely on “smart’ shopping carts which log items, charge users when they exit the store and send a digital receipt. Amazon claims that Fresh customers are more likely to spend when using carts.
Amazon is trying to compete with Walmart, with their Fresh stores and delivery options. They also bought Whole Foods for $13 billion in 2017.
However, Just Walk Out has had some hiccups. These include confusion among customers about how the system works, missing items, and long delays when sending out receipts.
Bill Berkrot, Bill Berkrot (Editing and Reporting)