Amazon, the online shopping giant, is looking to change the world of retail shopping with a brand new service known as Amazon Go. In a video released this week, Amazon demonstrates a brand new system of purchasing items that eliminates the need for self-checkout or even employees at a register.
Using just a smartphone and Amazon’s Go app, you can scan a barcode at the entrance of a store and virtually pay for any item you picked up while shopping. Considering most of the time Americans spend retail shopping is waiting in lines, this could be a life-changing solution to the most painful part of buying things in a store.
How does it work? According to Amazon, “computer vision, deep learning algorithms, and sensor fusion” make this “Just Walk Out technology.” Sounds pretty vague, right? After leaving the store, Amazon says it just bills your account and sends a receipt. Of course, this isn’t just any store–it’s Amazon’s. One can’t be sure if this technology will be adopted elsewhere, but Amazon says its 1,800 sq. ft retail locations will let customers move in and out without any fuss.
The full details aren’t clear as of yet, but stores should be opening with the service in early 2017. For more, read Amazon’s FAQ here. Our question? What keeps people from just shoplifting or scanning someone else’s account?
Thoughts of your own on Amazon’s new shopping technology? Let us know in the comments.
Source: Amazon