While the concept of checkout free technology may seem to be a game changer to some, two recent occurrences in the industry suggest the novel checkout-less concept may still be more of a work in progress.”
In October 2024 we learned that Grabango, a venture-backed startup specializing in checkout free technology, would be shutting down after it was unable to raise enough funding.
The startup, which launched in 2016, was positioning itself to take on Amazon in the race for a cashierless checkout technology, using computer vision and machine learning to track and tally up items as shoppers grab them from store shelves.
Before the announcement, Grabango reportedly had deals with grocers including Aldi and Giant Eagle, along with convenience store chains 7-Eleven and Circle K.
Shortly after Grabango announced it was closing up shop, the person responsible for bringing the cashierless checkout technology to Amazon’s grocery division shared he was leaving after three years in the omnichannel grocery business.
Tony Hoggett, who was serving at Amazon as senior VP of worldwide grocery stores, announced his departure in a LinkedIn post — saying he was “optimistic about the work Amazon is doing to improve the grocery shopping experience for customers.”
Berkeley-based Grabango, a leader in checkout-free technology once considered a rival to Amazon, has closed due to insufficient funding.https://t.co/WWH9loO6B3
— San Francisco Chronicle (@sfchronicle) October 14, 2024
Hoggett went to say that he had “no doubt the teams will keep the momentum going in my absence. I’ll be cheering you all on.”
Among his many accolades, Hoggett was responsible for Amazon’s “Just Walk Out” platform — a frictionless, cashierless shopping platform featured in Amazon Fresh stores.
The technology, which relied on cameras and sensors to monitor shoppers’ items, was phased out in April 2024.
Amazon said customers were simply never able to catch on to the technology.
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So if this checkout-less world technology we all dream about is not quite ready for primetime, what alternatives exist?
In Amazon’s case, the company pivoted toward Dash Carts, shopping carts equipped with scanners and screens that enable customers to pay as they shop, not to mention self-checkout counters.
And the evolution of self checkout only continues.
Despite ramped speculation of self checkout technology on the decline, the self-service kiosks continue to pop up in retail operations throughout North America — helping not only fill the void for employee-strapped stores, but also drive revenue and improve the customer experience.
STCR has installed 850+ self-checkout terminals over the past five years, introducing them not only to the latest in SCO technology, but also educating retailers on the importance of complimenting the technology with exceptional front end customer service and dedicated self service attendants.
