Amazon.com Inc is looking at bringing its futuristic checkout-free store format to airports in an effort to win business from hungry, time-pressed travellers, according to public records and a person familiar with the strategy.

The move underscores how a company that started as an online bookseller is making forays into brick-and-mortar retail to capture a greater share of shoppers' spending.

For months, the world's largest online retailer has been expanding Amazon Go, where customers scan their smartphones at a turnstile to enter, and then cameras identify what they take from the shelves. When shoppers are finished, they simply leave the store and Amazon bills their credit cards on file.

Amazon has opened seven of the stores to the public since January: in Chicago, San Francisco and its hometown Seattle, mostly catering to workers in nearby offices looking for a quick lunch.

Amazon is evaluating top U.S. airports for new locations, according to public records requests to several airport operators.

"The lead for Amazon Go requested a meeting," read a June 27 email from a technology adviser who supports Los Angeles International, the second-busiest airport in the country, to a concessions official. "Interested?"

"Yes. Thanks!" the concessions official replied.

A few hundred miles north, in the heart of Silicon Valley, an account manager at Amazon's cloud unit asked San Jose International Airport for a meeting and referenced Amazon Go, as "one of many possibilities we can discuss."

After the June meeting took place, during which Amazon discussed how the stores work, an airport information technology manager wrote: "I am looking forward to moving forward with the Amazon Go technology at the airport."

Officials from both airports have since told Reuters they had no further correspondence about Amazon Go and that the retailer would have to undergo a competitive bid process to become a concessionaire, as is typical. The company's cloud unit, Amazon Web Services, has been in touch with airports for other purposes. The status of the Amazon Go effort is unclear.

An Amazon spokeswoman declined to comment.

A person familiar with the strategy confirmed that Amazon is studying how to get the checkout-free stores into airports and that an employee with experience in business development was assigned to the task.

"Think about how you can expose your brand," the person familiar with the matter said, on condition of anonymity. "You'll be able to build broad awareness just being in a dozen of the best airports."

More than 350 million passengers boarded flights at the country's top 12 airports last year, according to US Department of Transportation data.

Operating in airports will present new challenges for Amazon Go.

Workers must gain clearances to staff concessions after security checkpoints, and square footage in busy sections of an airport can be expensive to lease. What is more, many airports are publicly run and require would-be concessionaires to put in public bids for retail space.

If "you do a deal, it's almost like they go back out and shop it," said Kazuko Morgan, vice chairman at real estate services firm Cushman &amp; Wakefield. She was not speaking with reference to Amazon.

"Not only do your terms become public knowledge, someone can come in at the last hour and block you," she said.

That has not stopped airports from trying to court the online retailer. In September, a concessions manager for Dallas Fort Worth International Airport emailed the vice president in charge of Amazon Go, asking for a partnership "on the first Airport Amazon Go location."

The airport did not immediately comment on whether the concessions manager got a response.

Amazon.com Inc is looking at bringing its futuristic checkout-free store format to airports in an effort to win business from hungry, time-pressed travellers, according to public records and a person familiar with the strategy.

Amazon.com Inc is looking at bringing its futuristic checkout-free store format to airports in an effort to win business from hungry, time-pressed travellers, according to public records and a person familiar with the strategy. The move underscores how a company that started as an online bookseller is making forays into brick-and-mortar retail to capture a greater share of shoppers' spending. For months, the world's largest online retailer has been expanding Amazon Go, where customers scan their smartphones at a turnstile to enter, and then cameras identify what they take from the shelves. When shoppers are finished, they simply leave the store and Amazon bills their credit cards on file. Amazon has opened seven of the stores to the public since January: in Chicago, San Francisco and its hometown Seattle, mostly catering to workers in nearby offices looking for a quick lunch. Amazon is evaluating top U.S. airports for new locations, according to public records requests to several airport operators. "The lead for Amazon Go requested a meeting," read a June 27 email from a technology adviser who supports Los Angeles International, the second-busiest airport in the country, to a concessions official. "Interested?" "Yes. Thanks!" the concessions official replied. A few hundred miles north, in the heart of Silicon Valley, an account manager at Amazon's cloud unit asked San Jose International Airport for a meeting and referenced Amazon Go, as "one of many possibilities we can discuss." After the June meeting took place, during which Amazon discussed how the stores work, an airport information technology manager wrote: "I am looking forward to moving forward with the Amazon Go technology at the airport." Officials from both airports have since told Reuters they had no further correspondence about Amazon Go and that the retailer would have to undergo a competitive bid process to become a concessionaire, as is typical. The company's cloud unit, Amazon Web Services, has been in touch with airports for other purposes. The status of the Amazon Go effort is unclear. An Amazon spokeswoman declined to comment. A person familiar with the strategy confirmed that Amazon is studying how to get the checkout-free stores into airports and that an employee with experience in business development was assigned to the task. "Think about how you can expose your brand," the person familiar with the matter said, on condition of anonymity. "You'll be able to build broad awareness just being in a dozen of the best airports." More than 350 million passengers boarded flights at the country's top 12 airports last year, according to US Department of Transportation data. Operating in airports will present new challenges for Amazon Go. Workers must gain clearances to staff concessions after security checkpoints, and square footage in busy sections of an airport can be expensive to lease. What is more, many airports are publicly run and require would-be concessionaires to put in public bids for retail space. If "you do a deal, it's almost like they go back out and shop it," said Kazuko Morgan, vice chairman at real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield. She was not speaking with reference to Amazon. "Not only do your terms become public knowledge, someone can come in at the last hour and block you," she said. That has not stopped airports from trying to court the online retailer. In September, a concessions manager for Dallas Fort Worth International Airport emailed the vice president in charge of Amazon Go, asking for a partnership "on the first Airport Amazon Go location." The airport did not immediately comment on whether the concessions manager got a response.

Amazon targets airports for checkout-free store expansion

Amazon.com Inc will open its checkout-free grocery store to the public on Monday after more than a year of testing, the company said, moving forward on an experiment that could dramatically alter brick-and-mortar retail.

The Seattle store, known as Amazon Go, relies on cameras and sensors to track what shoppers remove from the shelves, and what they put back. Cash registers and checkout lines become superfluous - customers are billed after leaving the store using credit cards on file.

For grocers, the store&#39;s opening heralds another potential disruption at the hands of the world&#39;s largest online retailer, which bought high-end supermarket chain Whole Foods Market last year for $13.7 billion. Long lines can deter shoppers, so a company that figures out how to eradicate wait times will have an advantage.

Amazon did not discuss if or when it will add more Go locations, and reiterated it has no plans to add the technology to the larger and more complex Whole Foods stores.

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-economy/the-rise-rise-of-jeff-bezos-amazon-14019" target="_blank">The Rise &amp; Rise of Jeff Bezos &amp; Amazon</a>

The convenience-style store opened to Amazon employees on Dec. 5, 2016 in a test phase. At the time, Amazon said it expected members of the public could begin using the store in early 2017.

But there have been challenges, according to a person familiar with the matter. These included correctly identifying shoppers with similar body types, the person said. When children were brought into the store during the trial, they caused havoc by moving items to incorrect places, the person added.

Gianna Puerini, vice president of Amazon Go, said in an interview that the store worked very well throughout the test phase, thanks to four years of prior legwork.

&quot;This technology didn&#39;t exist,&quot; Puerini said, walking through the Seattle store. &quot;It was really advancing the state of the art of computer vision and machine learning.&quot;

&quot;If you look at these products, you can see they&#39;re super similar,&quot; she said of two near-identical Starbucks drinks next to each other on a shelf. One had light cream and the other had regular, and Amazon&#39;s technology learned to tell them apart.

How it works

The 1800-square-foot (167-square-meter) store is located in an Amazon office building. To start shopping, customers must scan an Amazon Go smartphone app and pass through a gated turnstile.

Ready-to-eat lunch items greet shoppers when they enter. Deeper into the store, shoppers can find a small selection of grocery items, including meats and meal kits. An Amazon employee checks IDs in the store&#39;s wine and beer section.

Sleek black cameras monitoring from above and weight sensors in the shelves help Amazon determine exactly what people take.

If someone passes back through the gates with an item, his or her associated account is charged. If a shopper puts an item back on the shelf, Amazon removes it from his or her virtual cart.

Much of the store will feel familiar to shoppers, aside from the check-out process. Amazon, famous for dynamic pricing online, has printed price tags just as traditional brick-and-mortar stores do.

Amazon's new Seattle store -- Amazon Go -- relies on cameras and sensors to track what shoppers remove from shelves

Amazon.com Inc will open its checkout-free grocery store to the public on Monday after more than a year of testing, the company said, moving forward on an experiment that could dramatically alter brick-and-mortar retail. The Seattle store, known as Amazon Go, relies on cameras and sensors to track what shoppers remove from the shelves, and what they put back. Cash registers and checkout lines become superfluous - customers are billed after leaving the store using credit cards on file. For grocers, the store's opening heralds another potential disruption at the hands of the world's largest online retailer, which bought high-end supermarket chain Whole Foods Market last year for $13.7 billion. Long lines can deter shoppers, so a company that figures out how to eradicate wait times will have an advantage. Amazon did not discuss if or when it will add more Go locations, and reiterated it has no plans to add the technology to the larger and more complex Whole Foods stores. Also read: The Rise & Rise of Jeff Bezos & Amazon The convenience-style store opened to Amazon employees on Dec. 5, 2016 in a test phase. At the time, Amazon said it expected members of the public could begin using the store in early 2017. But there have been challenges, according to a person familiar with the matter. These included correctly identifying shoppers with similar body types, the person said. When children were brought into the store during the trial, they caused havoc by moving items to incorrect places, the person added. Gianna Puerini, vice president of Amazon Go, said in an interview that the store worked very well throughout the test phase, thanks to four years of prior legwork. "This technology didn't exist," Puerini said, walking through the Seattle store. "It was really advancing the state of the art of computer vision and machine learning." "If you look at these products, you can see they're super similar," she said of two near-identical Starbucks drinks next to each other on a shelf. One had light cream and the other had regular, and Amazon's technology learned to tell them apart. How it works The 1800-square-foot (167-square-meter) store is located in an Amazon office building. To start shopping, customers must scan an Amazon Go smartphone app and pass through a gated turnstile. Ready-to-eat lunch items greet shoppers when they enter. Deeper into the store, shoppers can find a small selection of grocery items, including meats and meal kits. An Amazon employee checks IDs in the store's wine and beer section. Sleek black cameras monitoring from above and weight sensors in the shelves help Amazon determine exactly what people take. If someone passes back through the gates with an item, his or her associated account is charged. If a shopper puts an item back on the shelf, Amazon removes it from his or her virtual cart. Much of the store will feel familiar to shoppers, aside from the check-out process. Amazon, famous for dynamic pricing online, has printed price tags just as traditional brick-and-mortar stores do.

This store, opening today, will have no checkout counters

Amazon launched an AI-powered checkout-free supermarket in its Seattle headquarters on Sunday.&nbsp;

The &quot;Amazon Go&quot; supermarket does not have any checkout counters, cashiers or machines - instead it functions by tracking what customers buy using its AI-powered cameras and weight sensors.&nbsp;

The grocery store allows shoppers to scan their desired products using their smartphones on the Amazon Go app and leave without the hassle of standing in lines for checkout. The customers are not charged if the put the product back in the shelf.&nbsp;

By combining computer vision, machine learning algorithms, and sensors, the online retail giant can tell what people have purchased and charges their Amazon account.

However, this does not mean the shop has no employees - Amazon informed that people are present in the store for stocking shelves, making food, helping customers etc. The store also offers on-the-go breakfast, dinners, lunches, meal kits and snacks other than the usual groceries.&nbsp;

The hope is that increasing the convenience factor of the typical convenience store model by making it quicker and easier to &quot;enter, buy, and go&quot; will draw in new customers.

Amazon Go is not the first checkout-free store in the world - grocery firm BingoBox has several unmanned supermarkets across China, which are little less advanced as Amazon Go.&nbsp;

The "Amazon Go" supermarket does not have any checkout counters, cashier or machines - instead it functions by tracking what customers buy using its AI-powered cameras and weight sensors

Amazon launched an AI-powered checkout-free supermarket in its Seattle headquarters on Sunday. The "Amazon Go" supermarket does not have any checkout counters, cashiers or machines - instead it functions by tracking what customers buy using its AI-powered cameras and weight sensors. The grocery store allows shoppers to scan their desired products using their smartphones on the Amazon Go app and leave without the hassle of standing in lines for checkout. The customers are not charged if the put the product back in the shelf. By combining computer vision, machine learning algorithms, and sensors, the online retail giant can tell what people have purchased and charges their Amazon account. However, this does not mean the shop has no employees - Amazon informed that people are present in the store for stocking shelves, making food, helping customers etc. The store also offers on-the-go breakfast, dinners, lunches, meal kits and snacks other than the usual groceries. The hope is that increasing the convenience factor of the typical convenience store model by making it quicker and easier to "enter, buy, and go" will draw in new customers. Amazon Go is not the first checkout-free store in the world - grocery firm BingoBox has several unmanned supermarkets across China, which are little less advanced as Amazon Go.

Amazon opens snazzy checkout-free supermarket to eliminate waiting lines

Amazon has opened a brick-and-mortar grocery store in Seattle that doesn&rsquo;t require people to queue up at checkout counters, kicking off new competition with supermarket chains.

Called Amazon Go, the 1,800-square-foot (167-square-meter) store uses sensors to detect what items shoppers have picked off the shelves and sends a bill to their Amazon accounts if they do not replace them.

&ldquo;Amazon Go is a new kind of store with no checkout required. We created the world&rsquo;s most advanced shopping technology so you never have to wait in line. With our Just Walk Out Shopping experience, simply use the Amazon Go app to enter the store, take the products you want, and go! No lines, no checkout,&rdquo; says Amazon.
<style type="text/css">.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }
</style>
<div class="embed-container"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NrmMk1Myrxc"></iframe></div>

 
Amazon Go is available now for employees of the company and is expected to be open to the public early next year, Amazon said.

The store marks Amazon&#39;s latest push into groceries, one of the biggest retail categories it has yet to master. Apart from groceries such as bread and milk, the store also offers ready-to-eat meals made fresh by on-site chefs and local kitchens and bakeries.

If tests are successful, Amazon plans to open more than 2,000 grocery stores, reported the Wall Street Journal. The company is considering other store formats, including one that would let drivers pick up goods at the curbside, the report said. Amazon, however, declined to comment on the report.

&quot;The checkout lines are always the most inefficient parts of the store experience,&quot; said Neil Saunders, managing director of retail research firm Conlumino. &quot;Not only would you save a lot on labour costs, you actually would make the process much quicker for consumers and much more satisfying,&rdquo; he added.

Amazon Go is not the first physical store for the e-commerce company to open. It has a book store in Seattle, as well as pop-ups at malls where it displays Amazon devices such as the Kindle.

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

Customers are not expected to pay before leaving the store

Amazon has opened a brick-and-mortar grocery store in Seattle that doesn’t require people to queue up at checkout counters, kicking off new competition with supermarket chains. Called Amazon Go, the 1,800-square-foot (167-square-meter) store uses sensors to detect what items shoppers have picked off the shelves and sends a bill to their Amazon accounts if they do not replace them. “Amazon Go is a new kind of store with no checkout required. We created the world’s most advanced shopping technology so you never have to wait in line. With our Just Walk Out Shopping experience, simply use the Amazon Go app to enter the store, take the products you want, and go! No lines, no checkout,” says Amazon. Amazon Go is available now for employees of the company and is expected to be open to the public early next year, Amazon said. The store marks Amazon's latest push into groceries, one of the biggest retail categories it has yet to master. Apart from groceries such as bread and milk, the store also offers ready-to-eat meals made fresh by on-site chefs and local kitchens and bakeries. If tests are successful, Amazon plans to open more than 2,000 grocery stores, reported the Wall Street Journal. The company is considering other store formats, including one that would let drivers pick up goods at the curbside, the report said. Amazon, however, declined to comment on the report. "The checkout lines are always the most inefficient parts of the store experience," said Neil Saunders, managing director of retail research firm Conlumino. "Not only would you save a lot on labour costs, you actually would make the process much quicker for consumers and much more satisfying,” he added. Amazon Go is not the first physical store for the e-commerce company to open. It has a book store in Seattle, as well as pop-ups at malls where it displays Amazon devices such as the Kindle. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Amazon opens grocery store with no checkout counters

amazon-go

Amazon Go, News on Amazon Go, stories on Amazon Go, articles on Amazon Go, Amazon Go stories at Wion, Amazon Go news, Amazon Go latest news

amazon go

Amazon targets airports for checkout-free store expansion

This store, opening today, will have no checkout counters

Amazon opens snazzy checkout-free supermarket to eliminate waiting lines

Amazon opens grocery store with no checkout counters