The coronavirus means that everything is changing. Social distancing is making shopping in busy grocery stores more difficult. With lockdowns in force across the country, shopping in public stores may be the highest risk of contracting the killer infection. In particular, workers are being exposed every day.
But there is some good news among the chaos. There’s been a rise in technology that can help to tackle these problems. In particular, let’s take a look at the progress that Amazon are making.
Image by Charles Thompson from Pixabay
Revolutionary Cashierless Technology for COVID-19
On February 25th 2020, Amazon opened a store in Seattle. This was called Amazon Go and it’s the first cashierless grocery store that runs with minimal staff. Certainly, there isn’t any cashiers present. The concept is simple. Customers go around their daily shopping tasks and take the items they need. They need head to the cash register. Instead of being greeted by a person, their faced with cashierless technology. This includes the system monitoring their movements for security and charging their items to their credit card.
The cashierless technology is sophisticated and smart. It uses a range of sensors and camera, as well as innovative software to operate. Altogether, this technology is called ‘Just Walk Out’. Any retailer is able to purchase this technology for their store from Amazon. In addition, in order for shoppers to enjoy this experience, they will have to download an app. This is what they’ll use to scan in store.
This technology is secure since it’s able to monitor the shelves and what is being taken by customers. They’re tracked in a virtual cart and will connect with the customer at the cashierless register. It’s compatible with all store types, including groceries, cafes and clothing.
Interest from Companies
It’s important to realize that the Just Walk Out system can be used by any store. It’s not for Amazon Go franchises; it can be enjoyed by anybody that wants to move to a cashierless system. This can be anybody from clothing stores to local grocery stores that want to upgrade and have less staff.
So far, there are rumoured to be several clients interested in this technology. Of course, it has not become clear yet what retailers they are. To install the technology, the operation takes a few weeks. Amazon states that the Just Walk Out system can be installed in new and existing stores without any problems. 24/7 customer support is available to help stores make adjustments to begin with. This includes phone and email solutions for convenience.
In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, this may be just what stores need across the country. It would mean that stores could still operate and less staff would be at risk from contracting coronavirus. It’s also a way forward for business in the future and should be looked at as an investment. Indeed, other investors, such as Tej Kohli, will be interested to see what other technology advances are made in the new few months
