Giant Eagle Soars with Checkout-Free System
The retailer aims to offer the first no-hassle checkout system for a large chain.
Jul 18, 2019
PITTSBURGH, Pa.—Giant Eagle, the 400-plus grocery chain based in Pittsburgh, has announced plans to team with Grabango, a Berkeley, California-based checkout-free technology provider, to create a no-wait checkout experience, Business Wire reports.
A recent study from Forrester Research found that waiting in the checkout line is the major complaint among U.S. grocery shoppers. Giant Eagle and Grabango want to remedy this pain point with their frictionless solution.
With Grabango’s checkout-free technology, customers enter the store and start shopping as usual, while the advanced checkout-free system automatically keeps a running total of the merchandise each shopper selects.
Grabango’s platform has been installed at a pilot Giant Eagle location, and multiple executions of the payment technology are being optimized, including an app-based solution, and another that allows the customer to pay with any tender they choose.
The technology does not rely on facial recognition technology. Instead it uses computer vision and machine learning to track shopped items, and all data is anonymized to protect customer privacy. The system places no limits on who can enter the store, what can be sold or how the shelving is configured.
“Giant Eagle is committed to advancing technologies that create an improved, stress-free shopping experience for our customers while still protecting their privacy,” said Dan Donovan, director of corporate communications, Giant Eagle. “In Grabango, we have found a partner who shares our commitment and who can help us bring this enhanced experience to life.”
Giant Eagle operates the GetGo convenience stores, which were featured in NACS Magazine's Ideas 2 Go in 2017.
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