In 2013, I wrote about how brick hands mortar stores will not go away because of online stores. I said then that physical stores would always have a place. Soon enough, online stores began to open physical stores. But now, Amazon has gone ahead and pushed the frontiers of shopping by inventing the future. Say hello to checkout-free shopping from Amazon Go.
What Is Amazon Go?
Amazon Go is a new kind of store with no checkout required. You walk into the store, pick the items you want and walk out. Amazon’s new technology automatically registers every item you picked and debits your account.
How Checkout-free Shopping Works
Amazing; yes. You will need an Amazon account and also must have the Amazon Go app installed and running on the phone. Use the Amazon Go app to enter the store, take the products you want, and leave. No more checkout lines. Mobile is about to kill the checkout counter.
The whole process is made possible by technologies similar to what powers virtual reality, augmented reality and self-driving vehicles.
The video below demonstrates how Amazon Go works:
This is a very fascinating approach to shopping. The first Amazon Go store will open in early 2017 in Washington. Like I said years ago, the traditional store isn’t going away anytime soon. They are about to get much better than ever before. E-commerce doesn’t have to mean no physical stores.