Amazon's JustWalkOut technology - just pick up what you want and walk out the door, no checkout or payment required - is both very cool and very complicated. Previous systems developed by Amazon used computer vision technology and required complex systems of cameras and sensors to implement. But now, Amazon is introducing a new, easier way to grab and go. It has set up a system that uses radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to track your purchases as you leave the store.
Amazon first tested the system at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena (which it purchased the naming rights to and named after the arena in 2020) and now at Lumen Field, home of the Seattle Seahawks.
The system is very simple: each item (here mainly clothing) has an RFID tag that looks just like a regular clothing tag. Customers walk into the store, pick out the items they want, and pass through an "exit door" that scans the tags and calculates the bill. Then, they tap their credit card for contactless payment or wave their hand at the AmazonOne scanning device, and they're good to go.
RFID tags have long been a staple in the people and item tracking industry: They're a convenient way to quickly check warehouse inventory, prevent luggage from getting lost, and even get you into Disney World, and Amazon is trying to bring the technology into the everyday shopping experience.
Walking through a scanner before leaving may not feel as cool as walking out of the building, but Amazon's advantage is that an RFID system will make implementation much easier for companies. Instead of installing expensive camera systems in the building, companies can simply change labels and add a few doors. Amazon said its JustWalkOut tests showed a significant increase in customer traffic due to shorter queue times and a significant increase in transaction volume because the process is so simple.
Amazon itself may be moving away from brick-and-mortar retail stores, but it's clearly still investing in solving real-world shopping logistics problems. (Amazon says that more than 150 stores currently have JustWalkOut technology enabled). It's potentially big business, and perhaps even more enticing, it's a huge source of customer data. If Amazon could get every person's palm swipe record from every store around the world, then the Internet's most relentlessly optimized online store would know everything about how you shop offline.
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