Dive Brief:
- Amazon last week announced an upgraded line of RFID checkout lanes, which can be deployed in hours, with the intent to use them for festivals, pop-up shops and other temporary retail locations, according to a company press release.
- Improvements include in-lane screens that guide shoppers through the checkout process and display their cart total, as well as automated gates and better cart visibility. Last year, the company piloted the upgraded checkout lanes at 17 locations, including the Camp Flog Gnaw music festival and a store at the Circuit of the Americas racetrack, the retailer said.
- Amazon’s original Just Walk Out system used computer vision to detect items shoppers picked up, but the RFID checkout lanes are better able to track soft items such as clothing and fan gear.
Dive Insight:
Amazon is going further with its RFID-enabled checkout lanes.
The company began integrating RFID technology into its cashierless checkouts in 2023 to charge customers for shoes, fan gear and other soft goods. At that time, the company partnered with Avery Dennison to roll out the capability.
Amazon is promoting the checkout lanes as a tool to boost sales and reduce theft. So far, the technology has driven a 47% jump in sales per game at Lumen Field in Seattle. Meanwhile, the University of California San Diego saw its retail theft plummet by 83% after rolling out the technology, Amazon said.
“Through continuous innovation and expanding applications, Just Walk Out continues to deliver on the same promise: streamline the shopping experience so people can get back to what matters most,” Amazon said in its release.
Amazon is expanding its Just Walk Out system in fast-paced, temporary retail settings as it pulls back from using the technology in some other retail environments. In 2024, the company opted to remove it from Amazon Fresh stores in the U.S. Instead, the retailer began introducing Dash Carts, which charge customers for their purchases and bypass the checkout line. In a blog post, the company defended its decision to reverse course by highlighting the technology’s performance in smaller settings like sports stadiums, college campuses and hospitals.
Along with the Amazon Fresh stores, the company also realized that the technology didn’t quite fit in its Whole Foods locations. The software works better in amusement parks, stadiums and other fast-paced retail environments, the company said.
Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology is currently being used at 360 third-party locations globally, and 150 new stores will be added this year, including at sports venues, healthcare facilities and universities.
