The future is upon us with this new store concept that Amazon just opened in the north end of Seattle. This new store is designed to eliminate the only inconvenient part about convenience stores: waiting in line to pay. I’m sure most people have experienced frustration when the enter a small store for a single item and then find that the have to make a line that seems to go around the store twice to pay. Say no more; Amazon has taken care of the issue with it’s new store Amazon Go.
Here’s how it works: to enter the store you have to download the Amazon Go app on your smart phone or tablet, connect it to your Amazon account and choose a payment method to save in the system. The app will proceed to give you a bar code that you can scan at the door for entry. As soon as you walk in, you will see cameras and sensors all throughout the store, those are meant to keep track of everything you pick and take from the shelves. After you leave the store, the camera records will serve to charge you automatically for what you took instead of making you wait in line to pay, just like that.
It’s no secret that Amazon is investing a lot in the food market scene. Inside the first Amazon Go convenience store there’s a wide variety of ready-to-eat food, classics like milk and yogurt and snacks for people on the go. There’s also a beer and wine section, of course with a store employee checking people’s IDs. The store does not have cashiers, but it does count with plenty store employees ready to help customers with any of their questions.
Amazon is not just a store, it is a giant data warehouse and like such, it’s developments of technology and innovation are a priority. The new store serves as a new development of intelligent technology that can recognize and analyze consumer behavior (what you don’t buy, what you buy and when you buy it) so that it can provide the best consumer experience and facilitate the exchange of goods. But is it just Amazon getting on this technology path? Or will we soon say good-bye to the long lines at other retail stores? So far Amazon is one of the pioneers in this futuristic shopping experience, but the city of the future could be full of stores that work in the same way. One thing is for sure: It would be nice to leave Forever 21 without making a 40 minute line to get a dress.