The world appears to be on the cusp of a major national breakthrough with regards to a literal “grab-and-go” shopping experience. The cashier-less payment procedure has been steadily gaining in popularity. For example, Amazon’s “Just Walk Out” technology, in which camera sensors are utilized for a contactless purchase, is used in many of its Amazon branded stores, as well as some Hudson airport shops and, most recently, in a Whole Foods Market in Washington, D.C., last February. But the Amazon technology has some competition.
In August, Standard AI, the computer vision technology company, partnered with Chartwells Higher Education, a college dining foodservice provider, to open at least 100 of its autonomous store concepts in college campus convenience stores throughout the country. The Standard AI technology has already had a trial run at convenience stores at the University of Houston, the University of Texas in Dallas and at San Jose State University in California, to much success. The Standard AI technology has also appeared in two Circle K convenience stores in Arizona.
Unlike the Just Walk Out technology, in which new building construction has been needed to install the cameras and the shelf weight sensors, Standard AI is able to easily retrofit an existing store. These stores can also remain open and in operation while this transition takes place. In addition, there are no sensor gates to walk through at the entrance or exit; there is only a QR code needed to be scanned at the entrance.
Introducing this technology at college campus stores ensures that the next generation of shoppers will be familiar and comfortable with the concept, and these consumers will probably seek out this convenient shopping experience in the future. The cashier-less technology also helps solve labor shortage concerns, as well as any “long line” issues that can arise during heavily trafficked times of the day. As more competition arises with the different cashier-less technology service providers, the concept is guaranteed to improve and to appear in more and more retail destinations.
