Well, Amazon has officially launched its first cashless supermarket, Amazon Go, where turnstiles have replaced tills when it comes to paying for grocery items. The shoppers possess an Amazon Go smartphone app that they scan at the turnstile when entering the shop, then pick goods of preference from the shelves, and finally walk out of the shop. It has been practical at Seattle- the Amazon headquarters
Does this mean customers enjoy free services at the Amazon Go supermarket? Not really, customers are monitored, and the items they select are charged on leaving the shop. The new shopping technique is made possible by the computer vision, deep machine learning, and sensor fusion technologies. The machines detect when a customer picks or returns a product from the shelves and monitor them in a virtual trolley. Upon leaving the supermarket, the cost of the products is deducted from the customer's Amazon account, and a receipt is issued.
The company aim at expanding Amazon Go supermarket in Europe, and specifically in the UK before 2018 elapses. According to retail experts, Europe offers the best location to open a new Amazon Go store. UK customers have proved to be open to new ideas and probably they will adopt this format. However, a section of UK consumers may not welcome it well because the system minimizes human contact at the supermarket. But the idea of Amazon Go supermarkets sound good for the entire Europe nations.
Despite the technological advancements made in the Amazon Go shops, some staffs are active throughout as they watch out for the machines to make sure they work appropriately. In addition, some crews are ready to assist the customers in case of difficulties in the store, stock the shelves, and make food, as the company will prepare ready-to-eat food and snacks.
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