Amazon Just Walk Out technology is coming to one of London’s most iconic locations
One of London’s most iconic music and events venues has welcomed the future of retail with the opening of a new store equipped with Amazon Just Walk Out technology.
The store, located in the O2 arena, allows customers to pick up their products and walk out with them, simply using a payment card to enter, meaning there is no need to wait in a queue.
Shown to TechRadar Pro at a recent media event, the store offers a range of snacks, drinks and even alcoholic beverages, which can be quickly picked up and added to a virtual basket, with users being charged when they leave the store without missing any of the show.
Just leave
First seen in Amazon Fresh stores, and now expanding to third parties around the world, Just Walk Out technology initially required shoppers to have a linked Amazon account to access, but now allows any payment card to be scanned for entry.
Amazon says it has worked with Adyen and Levy to ensure that its payment technology is reliable and secure. Inventory is monitored by a comprehensive network of sensors and cameras that can detect exactly which products have been removed from the shelves. AI-generated images and video clips of the store are also generated and analyzed to track shoppers throughout the store and can also differentiate between individual shoppers and groups.
There’s still a human presence, with employees checking the age of alcoholic beverages and removing bottle caps, but technology definitely holds its own in this store.
“This technology is very portable… you can see multiple uses for the technology, it’s growing and gaining momentum,” said Steve Gurney, AWS’s global head of retail.
“It’s just the beginning, but it’s growing very fast.”
“We saw the Just Walk Out technology in the US a few years ago and knew straight away that we wanted to bring it to the UK, and to O2 in particular,” Adam Pearson, O2’s chief commercial officer, told us.
“It’s really there to cut through the lines and eliminate the major pain of getting to an arena… and standing in line. It eliminates the need for that and allows us to serve people remarkably quickly compared to a traditional transaction.”
Pearson estimated the store would be able to serve “thousands” of customers on any given show night, with the O2 holding around 16,000 people for between 200 and 220 shows a year.
Following the initial launch, the O2 now hopes to open a second, larger self-service store in October 2024, along with dozens of staffed bars on site, with Pearson saying the intention is to expand to “multiple” stores at the arena in the future.
