Amazon plans to spread its wings in the supermarket format using its Go technology as earlier by 2020. The idea is to allow customers to take what they want and leave the supermarket without stopping to physically check out.
Amazon's future plans
Amazon said that it would license it as soon as Q1 of 2020 and is also developing the technology so the technology can be used in supermarkets and kiosks which would later be stretched for usage in malls and sports stadiums eventually beyond the supermarket format.
On a trial basis, the Go technology is already active in 21 supermarkets in the US and according to their promotional video, Go uses several technologies, including computer vision, deep learning algorithms and sensor fusion to automate much of the purchase, checkout and payment steps associated with a retail transaction.
If Amazon successfully scales up its Go technology at supermarkets and be the first to license it, the company will undoubtedly cement a top spot in the autonomous checkout market. Amazon is aiming for a 30,000-square-foot store as an expansion, which is much larger than Amazon Go store that is approximately 2,300-square-foot layout.
Amazon is ahead of its competitors
There is already a stiff competition to Amazon's Go technology as companies such as AiFi, Standard Cognition and Zippin are looking to conquer the autonomous checkout market and are yet to go live at supermarkets thus Amazon is currently ahead of the curve. If Amazon's Go technology grows in 2020, it'll be harder for the other players to make a mark, as their budgeting is huge.
The autonomous checkout market needs a number of things in place, which is to make sure its network of cameras and sensors track all the shoppers' selected products at once, which can prove difficult in a larger format like a supermarket. If Amazon breaks the barrier in this market and licence their technology to retailers, it would gain access to a significant new stream of revenue and make shoppers life at ease and avoid standing in long queues.
