Amazon’s Whole Foods Market is to trial Just Walk Out cashier-less shop technology at two outlets in the US. This follows the use of this technology in the UK and US at Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go stores.
“We launched the technology first in Amazon Go several years ago and, since then, we’ve gotten a lot of great feedback from customers who love being able to quickly and easily shop and skip the checkout line, ” said Dilip Kumar, Vice President, Physical Retail and Technology
The Just Walk Out technology is to be trialled at two Whole Foods Markets in Sherman Oaks, California and Glover Park in Washington DC from the beginning of 2022.
In order to scale the technology up to supermarket size, Amazon said in a blog, “We expanded our computer vision algorithms to support all of the Whole Foods Market selection people have come to love with the added benefits of Just Walk Out technology. For example, customers at these stores will be able to shop stations with self-service fresh-squeezed orange juice and mochi ice cream, while still shopping with the Just Walk Out experience and without adjusting any shopping habits. We also integrated with Whole Foods Market’s checkout and payment processing systems to accommodate customers who want to either shop with Just Walk Out technology or via the store’s self-checkout lanes.”
Initially customers will be met at the door of the shop by an Amazon team member who will offer them the opportunity to use Just Walk Out of an automatic cashier machine. If using Just Walk Out they will scan a payment card, QR code (or palm if using Amazon One) and then shop before scanning their card again as they leave. Amazon’s systems will monitor what they have picked up and bill them on their departure.
Kumar continued, “Since Whole Foods Market was founded more than 40 years ago, we have focused on finding new ways to surprise and delight our customers and improve the shopping experience. By collaborating with Amazon to introduce Just Walk Out Shopping at these two Whole Foods Market stores, our customers will be able to shop for fresh, thoughtfully sourced products that all meet our unparalleled quality standards, receive exceptional service from our Team Members throughout their shopping trip, and save time by skipping the checkout line. We can’t wait for customers to experience this effortless, convenient new way to shop at Whole Foods Market.”
