Amazon is phasing out its Just Walk Out cashier-less technology at grocery stores, reported The Information. After an 18-month pause, the e-commerce giant is getting ready to open a new batch of Amazon grocery stores, albeit without the grab-and-go checkout system that relied on cameras and sensors capturing what consumers left with.
Instead, it will introduce Dash Carts, which allow shoppers to scan their groceries as they move through the store, keeping a running tab of purchases.
Tony Hoggett, Amazon’s senior vice president of grocery stores, told The Information that "Amazon will also revamp the majority of its existing Fresh locations into 'version two' stores … removing Just Walk Out where it’s already installed while sprucing up the stores across the board."
The Information noted that, according to Hoggett, Amazon has already overhauled a handful of its Fresh stores in California and Illinois into version two stores, which also feature brighter colors and Krispy Kreme donut and coffee stands, among other changes.
According to The Wall Street Journal, there are currently 44 Amazon Fresh stores in the United States, of which 27 use Just Walk Out technology. While being phased out of Amazon Fresh stores, the Journal noted that the technology will still be used at the convenience store-style Amazon Go locations, as well as at smaller Amazon Fresh stores in the United Kingdom and some third-party retailers.
“Amazon also said it would install self-checkout kiosks and continue to offer assisted checkout,” the Journal reported.
The Just Walk Out technology required a team of off-site reviewers to watch the video footage for accuracy, which Web Pro News insinuated “made Just Walk Out an unappealing option for Amazon to sell to other retailers, as there was no clear path toward cost-effective scalability.”
Amazon paused its grocery store expansion last year “as it worked to find the right store format that resonated with customers.”
Check out the video from when NACS visited the Walk-Off Market, powered by Amazon, in T-Mobile Park.