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First, Amazon set out to digitize brick-and-mortar shopping by filling its Go stores with cameras and sensors. Now it’s packing that tech into a shopping cart, according to an Amazon announcement yesterday.
Later this year, an Amazon grocery store in LA will pilot the Dash Cart, which uses cameras, computer vision, weight sensors, and a touchscreen interface. Using the cart, shoppers can check out sans cashier or credit card. ~Contactless for the coronavirus era~
The OG smart cart
Dash Cart sure looks like smart carts from startups Veeve and Caper. The latter has deployed carts to a few North American locations. In January, Caper CEO Lindon Gao told me the cart represents a simple way for supermarkets and stores to upgrade their technology.
From the customer’s POV, “If I could just check out from the cart, wouldn’t that make retail so much simpler?” Gao noted. He also said Caper carts increased average checkout purchases by 18%, thanks to a built-in recommendation system.
- If Amazon deploys Dash Cart more widely, I’d expect it to also integrate a smart recommendation system.
Bottom line: Smart carts could be a cost-effective alternative to renovating an entire store. Also, my beat is converging with that of Retail Brew writer Halie LeSavage.