Amazon Go: shopping will become "do-it-yourself"

Amazon unveiled technology that will let shoppers grab groceries without having to scan and pay for them, eliminating the checkout line.
The company is testing the new system at what it’s calling an Amazon Go store in Seattle, which will open to the public early next year. Customers will be able to scan their phones at the entrance using a new Amazon Go mobile app. Then the technology will track what items they pick up or even return to the shelves and add them to a virtual shopping cart in real time, according a video Amazon posted on YouTube.

Amazon says the technology that makes the checkout-free store possible is very similar to that used in self-driving cars. It combines computer vision, sensor fusion, and deep learning.

“Our Just Walk Out technology automatically detects when products are taken from or returned to the shelves and keeps track of them in a virtual cart,” Amazon said in a statement. “When you’re done shopping, you can just leave the store. Shortly after, we’ll charge your Amazon account and send you a receipt.”

The store is open to those employees of the tech giant participating in a beta testing program. The store is expected to be open to the public in early 2017. The company said that it had started the project four years ago, with the aim of creating a shopping experience without a checkout.

In the much longer term, if the experiment works out and is adopted widely, it could radically transform the nature of work in the retail industry, much like driverless car and truck technology threatens to upend transportation.
The Amazon Go store is just part of Amazon’s broader retail strategy. Another format the company is considering is a larger shop that also has a curbside pick-up component, according to the Wall Street Journal. If this concept pans out, Amazon could potentially open 2,000 locations, the Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.