One of London's most iconic music and event venues has welcomed the future of retail with the opening of a new store powered by Amazon Just Walk Out technology.
The store, situated within the O2 arena, allows shoppers to pick up and walk out with their goods, having tapped a payment card to enter, meaning there's no need to wait in a queue.
Shown off to TechRadar Pro at a recent media event, the store offers a range of snacks, drinks, and even alcoholic beverages, which can be quickly picked up and added to a virtual basket, with users being charged when they leave the store without missing any of the show.
Just Walk Out
First seen in its Amazon Fresh stores, and now expanding to third parties across the world, the Just Walk Out technology initially called for shoppers to have a linked Amazon account to access, but now allows any payment card to be scanned for entry.
Amazon says it has worked with Adyen and Levy to ensure the payment technology is reliable and secure. Stock is monitored by a comprehensive network of sensors and cameras which are able to detect exactly what goods have been removed from the shelves. AI-generated images and video clips of the store are also generated and analysed to track shoppers across the store, and can also differentiate between individuals shoppers and groups.
There is still a human presence, with staff members carrying out age checks on alcoholic beverages, and removing bottle tops, but the technology definitely bears the weight in this store.
"This technology is very portable...you can see multiple uses of the technology,it's growing and building in momentum," said Steve Gurney, worldwide head of retail industry at AWS.
"It's only the beginning, but it's growing really fast."
"We saw the Just Walk Out technology in the US a few years ago and knew instantly we wanted to bring it to the UK, and the O2 in particular" Adam Pearson, commercial director at the O2, told us.
"It really is there to bust through queues and take away the major pain point of coming to an arena...and queueing. This takes away the need for that and allows us to serve people remarkably quickly compared to a traditional transaction."
Pearson estimated the store will be able to serve "thousands" of customers on any given show night, with the capacity of the O2 around 16,000 for between 200-220 shows per year.
Following the initial launch, the O2 now hopes to open a second, larger self-serve store in October 2024 alongside the dozens of staffed bars in the venue, with Pearson saying the intention is to expand to "multiple" stores across the arena in the future.
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