Franchise News
Seattle Times: Amazon Unveils ‘Self-Driving’ Brick-and-Mortar Convenience Store
Amazon uses new technology to create brick-and-mortar stores with no check out.
Amazon has come up with yet another way to turn the retail industry on its head. For a long time, there’ve been discussions about how Amazon was keeping consumers at home, making it more and more convenient to shop online. Now, Amazon is doing what seems like a complete 180, creating brick-and-mortar locations, reports Seattle Times. The first store is in Seattle, where Amazon’s headquarters are located.
So what sets apart the Amazon brick-and-mortar location? They’ve implemented a new technology, which they call “Just Walk Out technology.” According to Amazon, the technology is very similar to that of self-driving cars.
When a shopper walks in the door, they scan their phone from their Amazon app. From there, they do their shopping as usual, but then just leave without waiting in lines or even needing to check out. All purchases are charged to shoppers’ Amazon accounts.
The stores are being called “Amazon Go.” Currently, the Seattle location is only available to Amazon employees, as they’re in a testing phase. The store is slated to open up to the public in early 2017.
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About the Author
Nick Powills
FollowNick Powills, CFE, founded No Limit Agency in 2008 and serves as Chief Brand Strategist for the Chicago-based firm. No Limit is a full-service communications agency that establishes and elevates brands by bridging Public Relations, Social Media, Marketing, Advertising, Digital, and a lot of creativity, to best strategize well-rounded and successful campaigns for 50+ global franchise brands. By presenting visionary ideas and building real relationships, No Limit is able to create effective media branding strategies to help companies grow. Nick currently leads a staff of writers, media strategists, designers, social media experts and digital producers in an office think-tank where brands are humanized for strong, compelling media stories. Prior to starting No Limit at the age of 27, Nick spent four years working at a franchise PR agency where he mastered the art of building rapport with media outlets and creating newsworthy pitches for earned media placements. He holds a Bachelor of Journalism from Drake University in Iowa.
