313: Is AmazonGo the Future?

Adam and Jeannie discuss the innovative approach of AmazonGo and how it may foreverchange the retail customer experience.

Will AmazonGo change retail forever?

Have you heard of AmazonGo? It’s an amazing new prototype store for Amazon shoppers in Seattle, Washington. But being an Amazon store is not the what makes it different. Through an intricate system of cameras, a rotating stock and a special footprint, AmazonGo shoppers can pick up what they want and leave without going through a checkout.

“If you don't have to stand in a line at #AmazonGo...it's a win.” -Adam Toporek

It’s not just about being cashier-less. If fact, everything a shopper picks up (and puts back) at the AmazonGo store is tracked in real-time through a mobile app and charged to their Amazon account accordingly.

But don’t let the absence of cashiers fool you. Eliminating the need to fill this role means AmazonGo employees are present where customers need them the most.

This technology could signify an amazing leap in the retail customer experience! However, this will also pose a huge hurdle for retailers trying to compete. If customers come to demand this kind of shopping experience, colossal challenges and investments lie ahead for retailers everywhere.

"AmazonGo is a step beyond just being cashier-less…” -Jeannie Walters

Keep in mind that this is only a prototype, and the store in Seattle is the only one of its kind. In fact, Amazon has made no comments about what it plans to do with this technology in the future, so we have some time to explore this idea and what it means for our own businesses.

Today, Adam and Jeannie are exploring the advantages and drawbacks of the AmazonGo system, both to retailers and to customers. Can this technology scale, and if so, how soon? What challenges does it pose to the store owner, and in what ways will it change the shopping experience? We explore all of this and more, including some possible non-retail applications. Listen in!

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