Imagine walking into a grocery super market, picking up whatever you need, dropping them into your shopping bag, and…. simply walking out.
Yes, you heard it right. Simply walk out. No queues. No check out. No bills. Nothing. You simply walk out. And no, this is not a ray of imagination. This is a soon-to-be- reality.
Four years ago, it was a mere thought: What if we could create a shopping experience with no lines and no checkout?
Come 2017 and it will all come true. Residents of Seattle, Washington, will get to be part of a revolutionary way to shop. This is Amazon’s first brick and mortar retail grocery store, Amazon Go. What’s more? You can indulge in shop lifting, literally, and not be legally penalised!
Wondering how that’s possible? Well, according to Amazon’s press release, using a mobile app — Amazon Go, can transform how shoppers interact with a consumer environment.
How does Amazon Go Work?
According to Amazon, this checkout-free shopping experience is made possible by the same types of technologies that are used in self-driving cars: computer vision, sensor fusion, and deep learning. The ‘Just Walk Out’ technology, as Amazon refers to it, automatically detects when products are taken from or returned to the shelves and keeps track of them in a virtual cart. When shopping’s done, you can just leave the store. Soon after, your Amazon account will be charged and a receipt will be sent.
What can you pick up at Amazon Go?
According to Amazon, you can pick up ready-to-eat breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack options that will be made daily by their on-site chefs and other local kitchens and bakeries. Also on offer, will be grocery essentials ranging from bread and milk to cheeses and chocolates.
So, to shop in this 1,800 square feet of retail space, all a shopper would need is an Amazon account, a supported smartphone, and the free Amazon Go app. Meanwhile, the internet is also full of reports that Amazon may consider other types of bigger stores as well, and aims for several more grocery stores across the USA.
Source: www.mentalfloss.com
