Amazon Opens Its First Cashierless Store Outside the US

Let’s take a 150-word, transatlantic trip: Amazon has opened its first cashierless store outside the US. It’s a Fresh supermarket, supplied by local grocery store chain Morrisons.

What’s in stock: The same “Just Walk Out” tech you’ll see in US-based Amazon Go stores. Using a combination of technologies—computer vision, sensor fusion, and deep learning—the store notes who removes which items from a shelf (and the second-guessers who put products back).

• The AI system keeps track via a virtual cart, and the shopper is charged automatically upon leaving the store.

What’s not: The computer vision- and AI-equipped Dash Carts used in Amazon’s checkout-free US stores. TBD on whether the company will add that feature in the future.

Social distancing, contactless commerce, and cashierless stores—the perfect storm for Amazon’s retail expansion. Expect more brick-and-mortar chains to integrate Just Walk Out or their own tech stack, like UK-based Sainsbury’s did in 2019.