Grocery runs get quicker with smart shopping cart

TIMELY TECH Amazon’s Dash cart,which will allowshoppers to skip long queues and reduce risk of coronavirus exposure, makes its debut in a store to be opened later this year in Southern California. —AFP

SAN FRANCISCO — Amazon on Tuesday introduced a smart grocery cart that will let shoppers skip checkout queues.

Amazon’s latest cashierless shopping innovation comes as merchants and customers strive to do business while reducing risk of exposure to coronavirus.

Dash Carts that use discretely embedded sensors and cameras to tally prices of items placed inside will debut in an Amazon grocery store to open in Southern California later this year.

“It’s a new smart shopping cart that makes a quick grocery trip even quicker by allowing you to skip the checkout line,” the technology titan, which owns the Whole Foods market chain, said in a post.

“When you’re done shopping, you’ll simply exit through the store’s Amazon Dash Cart lane, and your receipt will be emailed to you.”

Vision software

Each cart uses computer vision software and sensor data to identify what is put inside, showing a running total along with item descriptions and prices on a display, according to Amazon.

Using a Dash cart requires a smartphone loaded with the Amazon application, which synchs by scanning a QR code and then charges the purchase to the credit card on file, the US based company explained.

Amazon early this year began offering its “just walk out” technology to other retailers in a move aimed at boosting the use of the cashierless store system.

“Just Walk Out technology enables shoppers to simply enter a store, grab what they want, and just go,” the website said.The move came shortly after Amazon launched its first full-size grocery store in Seattle using the cashierless model.

Amazon has already opened more than 20 smaller Amazon Go stores using the same system, including in New York, Chicago and San Francisco.

The Go stores allow pre-registered customers to skip the cashier and allow their credit cards to be billed for their purchases, with the technology detecting what they take and return to the shelves.