Fed up with checkout queues? Amazon has just launched an application which will save you time otherwise spent in serpentine lines, and all the unnecessary hassle that comes with it. Welcome to the cash register-free world of shopping.

All you need to do to get a taste of a checkout-free experience that all shoppers dream of is to download the app, log in your account data and hit the store. Forget the cash registers – just do your shopping and head home. Sounds great, does it not?

Of course, none of this would be possible if it had not been for new and cutting-edge techs. Facial recognition may be one of them – how else would it be possible to tell the application’s user from a common shoplifter?

No lines, no checkout

Other advanced techs include smart shelves which come fully equipped with computer vision, sensor fusion and deep learning. What does it mean in simpler terms? The shelf can tell when you remove or return the product. Absence of cash registers does not mean you can leave without paying. Upon your departure, your account gets automatically charged with the adequate amount.
Checkout-free offline shopping is not Amazon’s first foray into the bricks-and mortar territory. The company has already a physical bookstore on their record.

Bricks embrace techs

But online shopping giants are not unique in their pursuit of advanced technological solutions that hugely improve customer experience. Traditional retailers are not blind to the perks of new techs, either. From physical shops using small-sized robots to make sure that shelves are stocked to warehouses dispatching goods with the help of mini robots, bricks-and mortar stores are happy to use new technologies to make their operations more efficient. Some of retail market household names, like Walmart, also try to turn shopping into a hassle-free experience by introducing mobile payment service designed to facilitate checkouts.

Source: http://venturebeat.com/