Amazon is removing its Just Walk Out checkout technology from its Amazon Fresh grocery stores, the retailer confirmed to Digital Commerce 360. It will replace them with Dash Carts, Amazon’s smart shopping carts.

The news was first reported by The Information.

Just Walk Out works by allowing shoppers to select products at a physical store and leave without having to scan the products at checkout.

“We’ve invested a lot of time redesigning a number of our Amazon Fresh stores over the last year, offering a better overall shopping experience with more value, convenience, and selection — and so far we’ve seen positive results, with higher customer shopping satisfaction scores and increased purchasing,” an Amazon spokesperson told Digital Commerce 360 in a written statement. 

“We’ve also heard from customers that while they enjoyed the benefit of skipping the checkout line with Just Walk Out, they also wanted the ability to easily find nearby products and deals, view their receipt as they shop, and know how much money they saved while shopping throughout the store. To deliver even more convenience to our customers, we’re rolling out Amazon Dash Cart, our smart-shopping carts, which allows customers all these benefits including skipping the checkout line,” they added.

Just Walk Out technology will continue to be used in Amazon Go stores, Amazon Fresh stores in the U.K., and among third-party retailers. 

Amazon ranks No. 1 in the Top 1000, Digital Commerce 360’s ranking of the largest North American online retailers. It is also No. 3 in Digital Commerce 360’s Global Online Marketplaces Database, which ranks the 100 largest such marketplaces by third-party GMV.

Amazon Just Walk Out history

The online shopping giant first publicly launched Just Walk Out in an Amazon Go convenience store in Seattle in 2018. It used computer vision to allow customers to take items in the store and leave without interacting with a cashier. Their credit cards would automatically be charged for the purchase.

Since then, it’s been adopted by airports, convention centers, colleges, and other businesses. Amazon said there are more than 130 third-party locations using the technology in the U.S., U.K., Australia and Canada. 

Most recently, Candler Hospital in Savannah, Georgia added Just Walk Out for health care staff to pay using their badges.

Dash Carts

Amazon will replace Just Walk Out with Dash Carts at Amazon Fresh locations. Dash Carts are smart grocery carts first introduced in 2020. Customers log into the cart using a QR code through the Amazon app. Then, they can place items in the cart and scan them with a camera on the handle.

Amazon will add Dash Carts to Amazon Fresh grocery stores.

Like Just Walk Out, Dash Carts also use computer vision and sensor fusion to identify items. The cart shows shoppers a real-time receipt of items in their cart and charges them for those items when they leave the store. It also has a weighted shelf for items sold by weight, and it makes personalized recommendations.

According to Amazon’s website, some Whole Foods and Price Chopper locations also have Dash Carts.

Instacart’s rival cart

Amazon isn’t the only company growing its smart cart footprint. Instacart’s Caper Carts use computer vision and artificial intelligence to automatically identify items placed inside them, which Instacart says will transform the traditional supermarket checkout experience. Customers can place items in bags as they shop and pay through the cart wherever they are in the store, eliminating checkout lines.

Customers who connect loyalty accounts can also access personalized promotions through the carts.

At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January, Instacart announced that the AI-powered smart carts would make personalized recommendations through advertisements. Recommendations will be based on the time of year, ongoing promotions and other products already in the customer’s cart, Instacart said.

The fulfillment company recently inked a deal to bring Caper Carts to thousands of Associated Wholesale Grocers locations.

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