Tuesday, March, 19, 2024 03:52:20

E-commerce giant, Amazon, has recently announced plans to open its first checkout-free store in Britain as it aims to enhance its high-tech experience for shoppers in the country.

Sources close to the matter state that the new store will open near London’s Oxford Circus and will operate under Amazon’s advanced retail brand ‘Amazon Go’ shop, which currently offers services in the U.S. Just like the stores in the U.S., customers will enter the store by scanning their smartphones at the entrance turnstile. The store will be equipped with high-end cameras, sensors, and computer vision technology for keeping a track on the shopper’s items and billing on an app as they check-out from the store, cite sources.

Reportedly, the company’s U.S. executives are scouring sites in London ranging from 3,000 to 5,000sq ft. for the proposed store, which would be its flagship outlet in Britain. The store would be the first of its kind not only in Britain but also anywhere outside the U.S. and will offer a cashless, no checkout shopping experience for customers.

For the record, Amazon opened its first Amazon Go store in the U.S. in January 2018, and currently operates 7 shops in the country. The company considers opening several Go stores in U.S. airports and further aims to launch at least 3,000 Amazon Go stores globally in the next three years, fulfilling its strategy to use advance technology and data insights to modernize customers’ shopping experience.

Reliable sources cite that Amazon is currently in the phase of demonstrating the technology and its working. The UK is anticipated to be an ideal place for the Amazon’s upcoming stores. However, stores sharing similar concept for cashless and check-out free technology could lead to job layoffs in Britain.

As per reports, over 22,000 jobs have been lost in retail stores sector in the first six months in 2018 owing to several store closures due to rise in tread for online shopping.