Amazon Introduces Cashierless Technology for Clothing Retailers
In a bid to extend its cashierless shopping technology beyond convenience and grocery stores, Amazon.com Inc. has created an updated version specifically designed for clothing retailers.
The retail and cloud services giant said Tuesday that the latest iteration of its Just Walk Out technology uses radio frequency identification, or RFID tags, to track clothing.
In the past, Amazon’s system has relied on ceiling-mounted cameras and shelf sensors to determine who is grabbing what. The technology automatically charges the swiped credit card when leaving the store. But the system may have trouble distinguishing between items that are similar in weight and appearance.
Enter RFID tags that are attached to individual products and monitored by fixed readers inside the store. The technology has been around for decades and is primarily used to track warehouses and shoplifters. Avery Dennison Corp. supplied the RFID equipment, Amazon said in a blog post.
Amazon has implemented Just Walk Out technology in a few dozen Go convenience stores and Fresh grocery stores, as well as stores operated by licensees – mostly sports stores and airport stores. It’s unclear how many clothing retailers are using the RFID version, fearing they’re relying on a tough competitor for crucial in-store technology.
Amazon has been quietly testing its RFID-enabled Just Walk Out technology in fan shops at two Seattle sports arenas: Lumen Field, home of the National Football League’s Seahawks, and Climate Pledge Arena at the National Hockey League’s Kraken. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy is a minority owner of the hockey team.
