Seven-Eleven Tests Facial Recognition Payment System
Tokyo store is the first to experiment with self-checkout using facial recognition technology.
Dec 20, 2018
TOKYO, Japan - Convenience store giant Seven-Eleven Japan Co. is testing a self-checkout system using facial recognition technology to save on labor costs and introduce cashless payments amid concerns of labor shortages, according to The Mainichi.
The Seven-Eleven store is located in Tokyo's Minato Ward in the building that houses the NEC Group, a major IT provider and the developer of the facial recognition technology. Some 6,000 NEC Group employees can use the store once their photos are registered in the Seven-Eleven system. At self-checkout counters, shoppers scan barcodes on products and put their faces close to cameras, which allows payment amounts to be automatically deducted from their salaries.
If the system is successful, Seven-Eleven Japan Co. plans to install the technology in its small-scale outlets, such as those inside office buildings, making the payment system the first of its kind in Japan.
