Amazon go: A revolution in shopping?

In this digital era, tasks that would once have to be performed with slow, inefficient manual labor are now being revolutionized with efficient technological methods.

This is especially happening in marketing and retail, due to the ever-growing presence of digital shopping.

Google can track people’s search habits, and Amazon can track people’s purchasing habits.

This kind of data collection allows companies to know their customers better than ever before. Thus, they can respond to their needs better as well.

In India, one such company taking advantage of this technology is Manthan, which uses Alexa both to help CEOs and the marketing team and to give needed insights to store managers.

Now, Amazon is taking the use of technology in retail stores to the next level with Amazon Go.

On January 21st, Amazon launched the first ever Amazon Go store in Seattle, which uses smart technology to make shopping easier and more convenient for customers.

To get started in the Amazon Go store, a customer needs an Amazon account, a recent-generation iPhone or Android, and the free Amazon Go app.

Once a customer enters the store, he or she can scan the Amazon Go app, and the store will recognize who the customer is.

There are no store assistants inside, since the app already does all of the needed assistance. Of course, there will still be people baking and assembling fresh food in the bakery and on counters.

With Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connections, customers will be able to be recognized at every aisle in the store.

Sensors and cameras will be able to recognize if an item is picked up from the shelf, and it will be charged in the Amazon Go app.

If an item is put back, then the cost of the item is deleted and the money is debited.

Once a customer has collected all of his or her items, then the only things left to do are to bag the items and exit the store.

Since the money is automatically charged on the Amazon Go account, this is the first store where customers can shop without ever having to stand in the checkout line.

Image Credit: SounderBruce / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Image Reference: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Amazon_Go_in_Seattle,_December_2016.jpg