What is frictionless retail?
Frictionless retail, also known as autonomous retail, cuts down on wait times for customers by streamlining the checkout experience. Unlike traditional cashier lines and self-checkout, which can be prone to long lines in high-volume stores, frictionless retail accelerates transactions so that shoppers can grab what they want and get back to life while retailers grow sales and cut costs.
Just Walk Out technology combines computer vision and AI, and radio-frequency identification (RFID) to deliver a simplified retail experience. Customers enter a Just Walk Out technology-enabled store after verifying a payment method, browse and pick up the items they want, and exit without going through a traditional checkout. The technology keeps track of the items customers take in a virtual cart. When customers leave, they are charged for the items they took.
We can now provide a better, faster experience using proven, safe technology, allowing more time for visitors to network, learn, and trade around their event.
Frictionless retail examples in action
Frictionless retail is becoming the norm in a variety of locations across the United States and around the globe. At campus sites such as Bowling Green State University and University of California San Diego, students can enter food and convenience stores using a school meal plan app, mobile wallet, or credit/debit card. They can then pick up food and essentials and leave the store, avoiding the wait for a cash register, and their account is charged.
In stadiums and event venues, sports fans and concert-goers can pick up snacks and drinks in seconds and get back to the action, while travelers on the move in airports can scan their payment method, grab what they need, and proceed on their journey without stopping at a cash register.
In clothing stores, pop-ups, and similar merchandise retail, Just Walk Out technology uses radio-frequency identification (RFID) to tag products. Customers enter the store and browse normally, select tagged items, and exit through RFID lanes where they tap their payment method. The RFID readers automatically detect all tagged items and process payment.
Both shoppers and retailers benefit
In high-traffic locations such as airports, stadiums, and campus stores, simplified checkout allows customers to get in and out of the store quickly and seamlessly. The convention center ExCeL London, for example, which opened a full-service Just Walk Out technology-enabled store with prepared foods, snacks, and beverages, reduced customer journey time 53%, while revenue over a seven-month period increased by 87%.
“We can now provide a better, faster experience using proven, safe technology, allowing more time for visitors to network, learn, and trade around their event,” says Simon Mills, ExCeL London’s chief commercial officer.
In healthcare settings, shoppers can return to loved ones faster, and staff can enjoy more of their valuable break time. With the extended operating hours made possible by autonomous retail, shoppers can get what they need during off-peak hours, increasing convenience and reducing wait times.
For retailers, autonomous retail provides a friction‑free experience that increases customer throughput, optimizes labor, and provides comprehensive analytics dashboards with insights into shopping behavior and store performance.
Simplified shopping for customers can translate to increases in sales and customer satisfaction. At UC San Diego, for example, three stores powered by Just Walk Out technology saw 14% more transactions per day and higher guest counts. In general, stores that used Just Walk Out technology to operate partially or fully autonomously during extended hours achieved an average 18% increase in sales over a yearlong period.
At Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, which is home to Major League Baseball’s Texas Rangers, “the addition of the new Easy Out location, featuring Amazon’s latest cutting-edge technology, means our fans can now shop for their favorite Rangers T-shirts and jerseys, feel the fabric, try them on, and simply leave the store without waiting in checkout lines,” says Rob Matwick, executive vice president of business operations for the Rangers. “And setting up this latest Just Walk Out technology store was so quick and convenient for us.”
Why frictionless shopping is here to stay
Just Walk Out technology is live in more than 375 locations across the United States, Canada, Australia, France, and the United Kingdom. In the past year, over 36.7 million items were sold by third-party stores using Just Walk Out technology, with over 17.7 million shopping sessions processed.
Interested in learning more about Just Walk Out technology? Contact us.
