Amazon always has been known for its ability to disrupt the commerce space. In its latest move, it’s merging e-commerce and conventional grocery shopping by opening a grocery store without any checkout lines.
According to USA Today, the downtown Seattle store allows customers to tap their cellphones on a turnstile at the entrance, connecting them to the store’s network. Once they’re inside, sensors track the items they pick up. Then, once they’re done, they can just walk out, and Amazon charges their account.
Amazon has been working on this project since 2012, and it currently is being tested by Amazon employees, but should be open by next year.
Just like online shopping revolutionized the way people shop, this could also be a real game changer for those who want to do their shopping with little hassle or fanfare, but still want to get a little bit of fresh air. It combines e-commerce, smartphone payment methods and brick-and-mortar shopping.
