Improving the shopper experience with real-time cart visibility and higher accuracy

To bring frictionless shopping to retailers offering soft-goods such as clothing items and fan-gear, Amazon introduced Just Walk Out technology with RFID in 2023. Each item carries a unique RFID tag that is read when shoppers pass through an exit gate by tapping their credit card or mobile phone. In November 2024, we introduced portable RFID lanes. These lanes use multiple antennas and smart algorithms to detect everything a customer is carrying. They fit spaces of any size, integrate with existing systems and payment providers, and can be set up in as little as a day, reducing labor costs while improving the overall shopping experience. Now in 2026, we’re excited to bring even more transparency to the checkout experience. Shoppers now see their exact itemized cart and post-tax total on-screen before they exit. No guessing, no surprises, no scanning items one by one.

With updated firmware and a retrained deep learning model that further improves item detection accuracy, the latest release of Just Walk Out RFID lanes introduces real-time cart visibility for the first time, showing shoppers every item and the final charge before they walk out. What’s new is greater transparency: shoppers see exactly what they are being charged before they exit, and if there is an issue, it is resolved with an associate right in the lane.

An in-lane screen shows the full itemized cart and post-tax total before the shopper exits. Every item, every price, and the final charge, all in real time. Machine learning models filter stray RFID tag signals, distinguishing items a shopper is carrying from reads generated by nearby shoppers or items outside the lane, so the cart displayed on-screen reflects only what is actually being purchased. If something doesn’t look right, a single tap triggers an associate to quickly resolve the issue.

Receipts are simpler too. Previously, shoppers needed the last four digits of the card they paid with and the date of purchase to look up a receipt. Now they only need to scan the QR code on any tagged item and enter the date they shopped.

Shoppers can view their cart and get a receipt almost instantly without hassle. They leave knowing exactly what happened and what they paid.

For store operators, the enhancements require no new systems. Operators use the Just Walk Out Merchant Portal for reporting, catalog management, loyalty integration, and daily operations.

And because the lanes operate on casters over Wi-Fi with no hard-wired installation, operators can deploy them in hours, not weeks, across a variety of store sizes, from a 500-square-foot pop-up shop at music festivals to permanent team stores at stadiums. Native integrations with point-of-sale systems, payment processors, and loyalty programs mean retailers can implement them directly into existing operations, with Amazon managing all technology maintenance and updates.

What is new: real-time visibility into lane performance, checkout timing, payment latency, associate-assist activity, and self-service usage, so operators can spot bottlenecks and optimize staffing without waiting for end-of-day reports.

Today, Just Walk Out RFID lanes are deployed primarily across professional sports and entertainment venues, stadiums and arenas where peak demand is concentrated, and every minute a fan spends in a checkout line is a minute they’re not in their seat.

Operators using Just Walk Out RFID lanes have experienced 5x faster checkout speeds compared to traditional POS systems. And what surprised some was the back-of-house impact: pilot customers reduced the time to complete cycle counts by 96%. When every item is tagged, inventory accuracy stops being a manual problem.

“I’m looking forward to implementing the RFID tagging across our venue for the inventory management capabilities before the next season. That’s just as big, if not a bigger opportunity, than speeding up checkout,” said Lauren Gurley, Senior Manager of Retail Operations, Miami Dolphins, Hard Rock Stadium & Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix.

Real-time cart visibility is the latest in a series of ongoing investments in Just Walk Out RFID lanes. Ready to discover if Just Walk Out RFID lanes are right for your business? Let’s connect.