New “Just Walk Out” Technology
The company of Amazon incorporated this particular advanced technology in their Amazon Fresh stores for the satisfaction. As well as the convenience of the customers. With this artificial intelligence technology, customers can literally just walk in, get their goods, groceries, and whatever they might need. Subsequently, customers can literally just walk out without having to wait in the long lines for a cash register or the lines in self-check-out. Overall, they had the intention of making customers’ shopping experience easier and more accessible.
Additionally, with these advancements of technology, they can get a notification of their receipt of that particular purchase. Essentially, this eliminates any roadblocks in the customers’ shopping experience. In fact, there are over 40 Amazon Fresh stores which all included the “Just Walk Out” technology but now currently 13 of their grocery stores use Amazon Dash Cart, according to the company. Amazon Dash Cart is a slightly different type of technology approach in terms of their shopping experience.
Transition from “Just Walk Out” to Amazon Dash Cart
Now, as mentioned previously, there are several grocery stores under this corporation that have transitioned from “Just Walk Out” to smart carts. Well, this is the new huge change and transition that will happen regarding the technology of grocery shopping in Amazon Fresh grocery stores. Out of the 40 stores there are 27 that still utilize the “Just Walk Out’ approach. Which they will also have to go through this transition.
The company made their announcement in an email on Tuesday, April 2nd. They announced their decision to cut the technology due to customers’ feedback, which can be found in Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go stores. The current technology will be replaced by smart carts.
This new approach is going to allow customers to scan their items as they shop around the store. Now, they will get to see how much they are spending and saving on their screen. They will no longer be surprised by the amount on their receipt, hours after they went grocery shopping.
The Check-Out-Less Technology Actually Relied on Outsourced Cashiers
Moreover, there is a shocking truth behind all of this check out-less thing. It turns out that the “Just Walk Out” approach was actually managed and controlled by a total of 1,000 people in India. Even though this technological approach seemed as if it was completely automated, these employees of the company were watching and labeling videos to ensure that the checkouts were highly accurate.
Basically, the only difference with this approach, is that instead of being assisted by physical cashiers they were just off-site. They were still watching individuals as they shopped around the store.
Yet, according to a Gizmodo report, it also shows that the “Just Walk Out” method was very expensive to maintain, along with the equipment that needed to be used for a long-term use. With this also came a whole lot of issues that were not convenient for customers. For instance, receipts being sent late, receipts being sent to the wrong order, not being able to see how much is being spent, etc.
Customers Satisfied with the New Technology Approach
Furthermore, the company has definitely seen improvements in their statistics of customer satisfaction scores. They have noticed that after they implemented this new technological strategy their shopping amounts have also increased with it. Many customers had advocated and expressed their best interest for the sake of their economy to the company, which this was the customers’ feedback.
Gladly, the company took into consideration this change. Their statistics were actually dropping since people did not want to go purchase their groceries without taking accountability or considering how much they were spending in every trip, while they were shopping.
Jessica Martin, an Amazon spokesperson, said the following statements,
“We’ve invested a lot of time redesigning a number of our Amazon Fresh stores over the last year, offering a better overall shopping experience with more value, convenience, and selection, and so far we’ve seen positive results, with higher customer shopping satisfaction scores and increased purchasing.”
“We’ve also heard from customers that while they enjoyed the benefit of skipping the checkout line with Just Walk Out, they also wanted the ability to easily find nearby products and deals, view their receipt as they shop, and know how much money they saved while shopping throughout the store.”
Written by Jeanette Sanchez
Sources:
USA Today: Why Amazon is ditching Just Walk Out checkouts at grocery stores
TECHSPOT: Amazon is dropping “Just Walk Out” technology from its grocery stores in favor of Dash Carts
The Verge: Amazon gives up no-checkout shopping in its grocery stores
Hindustan Times: 1000 Indians part of Amazon’s “generative AI” driven Just Walk Out project in Fresh stores: Report
Futurism: Amazon Abandoned Grocery Stores Where You Just Walk Out With Stuff After It Turns Out It’s “AI” Was Powered by 1,000 Human Contractors
Featured Image Courtesy of The Retail Connection Flickr Page-Creative Commons License
Inset Images Courtesy of amish.patel and Ted Eytan Flickr Page-Creative Commons License
