Will the Chinese Win the Race to Cashier-Free Stores?
Americans use cameras to detect purchases, but the Chinese let customers scan their items with their personal phones.
Dec 10, 2018
ALEXANDRIA, Va. - American companies as large as Amazon and as small as unheard-of startups are working to figure out the best way to build and operate a cashier-free checkout. But currently, the Chinese are surging ahead in that race, according to a report at Axios.com.
Americans are focused on a totally hands-free checkout, which Amazon dubs "just walk out." But in China, retailers have figured out cheaper and easier ways to eliminate checkout lines.
With Amazon's technology, cameras detect what shoppers buy, and then they are automatically charged for the items when they leave the store. So far, this has only worked successfully in small stores, such as a 2,500-square-foot Amazon Go. Meanwhile, China’s leading retailers, Alibaba and JD.com, use the power of mobile payments. Rather than being monitored by cameras and sensors, Chinese shoppers pay for everything from street food to new laptops by scanning QR codes with their personal cellphones, a method that works in a store of any size.
For example, shoppers at Alibaba's Hema, a chain of full-size grocery stores, simply stroll the aisles, scanning their food purchases and other goods, which is the same job the cashier used to perform.
Industry observers believe getting American consumers to switch to mobile payments may be an easier and cheaper way to streamline cashierless shopping for the future.
Further trends will be discussed at the 2019 NACS Convenience Summit Asia will be held at The Langham Shanghai Xintiandi in Shanghai, China, March 5-7, 2019.
Atendees will experience a robust conference featuring inspiring speakers and case studies and stimulating discussions on critical industry topics, plus interactive store tours.
The Summit will provide networking and collaboration with retail leaders and C-suite executives from Asia and throughout the world, deliver thought-provoking education, showcase the ways strong retailers succeed and feature diverse retail formats of some of Asia’s strongest retailers.
