Amazon pegs 'Dash Carts' to eliminate contact among people at grocery stores
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As part of this “cashier less” experience, both the company employees and the customers will no longer need to interact with each other
Amazon has upped the development of mechanisms to limit contact among people, and to eliminate potential exposure to COVID-19.
As part of this, the company has introduced a smart grocery cart, whereby shoppers will no longer need to checkout and wait in queues.
"Cashier less"
As part of this “cashier less” experience, both the company employees and the customers will no longer need to interact with each other.
"It's a new smart shopping cart that makes a quick grocery trip even quicker by allowing you to skip the checkout line," Amazon said in a statement. "When you're done shopping, you'll simply exit through the store's Amazon Dash Cart lane, and your receipt will be emailed to you”, it added.
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Amazon is set to expand its grocery stores very soon, starting in the US state of California. To make the stores future ready, it will use a system being pegged as “Dash Carts”, which will employ sensors and cameras to lodge items in one’s cart, so that the invoice may be generated.
Every cart will be equipped with softwares complementing the sensors to identify items being put in the card, and the number of items and their price will be reflected on a display, as per Amazon.
However, to be able to use the Dash Cart feature, buyers will need the Amazon application, which will sync data based on the QR codes, after which the payment will be made through a credit card saved in the system.
"Just walk out"
In a bid for more automation and less dependence on manpower, the company has been testing its “just walk out” systems which allow a cashier less experience at grocery stores.
"Just Walk Out technology enables shoppers to simply enter a store, grab what they want, and just go," Amazon said.
Jus recently, Amazon opened a grab-and-go cashier-less store in Seattle. Additionally, the company has opened 20 smaller stores in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco.
All users who have already registered with Amazon with their credit card details may use the feature. The technology is not arbitrary, ie, people may continue picking up items, and may decide against buying them, after which it will be automatically deleted from the software.
(With inputs from AFP)