Amazon introduced an innovative shop that allows people to buy things they need and just leave. What is unique about this is that, buyers do not have to pay on checkout but it is literally just "pick and go" scheme.
The new cashier-less shop was named Amazon Go. It makes use of various modern technologies to monitor people and keep an eye on what items they take from the store. Likewise, sensors track customers as they roam the grocery and record products they pick up along the way.
When customers are done with their grocery shopping and leave through the door, they are billed via their Amazon account. They are automatically charged for everything that they have picked up from the shop, USA Today reported.
Amazon Go is very convenient in many ways. Most probably, the best feature is that the customers do not have to queue up anymore as they checkout for things they bought. There is absolutely no waiting for the payment process, and this saves time too.
How to Shop
Customers just need to use their Amazon app to sign in at the door of the store. At the entrance, a customer simply shows the app, using their phone, to the sensor at the entrance, then they will be allowed to shop freely. Once done, everything will be processed automatically.
"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," the online retailing company explains on its FAQ page.
Amazon Go uses the "Just walk out technology" which the company said is the same technology used in driver-less cars. The amount of items taken from the store is deducted from customer's Amazon account then the receipt is forwarded to their email.
The first Amazon Go store is set on just about 1,800 square feet of space. The products are organized on the shelves just like the regular convenience stores. It is quite compact but it is easy for customers to come and go.
Meanwhile, the Amazon Go store is still in beta mode and only open for its employees. Amazon is planning to launch a string of automated stores in 2017, in Seattle.