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WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF

We have had the technology to let customers walk in, grab what they want, pay, and leave without stopping at the checkout for a long time, but it’s now rolling out.

 

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The first truly cashierless stores first emerged in 2016 and were pioneered by Grabandgo. Then Amazon came into the market with Amazon Go and suddenly everyone sat up and took notice and retailers around the world, from nano-retailers like AiFi to big box giants like Walmart, started trialling and deploying the technology. Now, in the UK supermarket giant Tesco has created what is set to be its first public facing store using cashierless technology as grocers compete to offer more convenience shopping to customers.

 

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To date Tesco has been trialling items being automatically added to a digital shopping basket as customers pick them up from the shelves at its Welwyn Garden City store at the HQ used by staff.

Then in June Tesco boss Ken Murphy said the company would extend that trial to another store “in the coming weeks and months” with the result being that the chain has now refurbished its Tesco Express site in High Holborn with new pay gates and a host of cameras installed in the ceiling.

 

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According to Retail Week magazine which reported on the store changes, the technology is not yet operational but “it is destined to be the first public facing Tesco store equipped with its Trigo powered version of Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology”.

The Retail Week report also added that Trigo uses machine vision powered tech, like Grabandgo’s whose technology is embedded into ceilings, facias, and along rails in the stores, that supports checkout free retail experiences.

 

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The grocery sector is continuing to try out ways to offer people more convenience at lower prices and so far this year tech giant Amazon has opened a number of cashierless stores in London and the US where shoppers cans scan a smartphone app to enter, pick up goods, and walk away. Shortly after they get an E-Mail receipt and are be billed from their Amazon account.

About author

Matthew Griffin

Matthew Griffin, described as “The Adviser behind the Advisers” and a “Young Kurzweil,” is the founder and CEO of the World Futures Forum and the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures consultancy working between the dates of 2020 to 2070, and is an award winning futurist, and author of “Codex of the Future” series. Regularly featured in the global media, including AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, RT, Viacom, and WIRED, Matthew’s ability to identify, track, and explain the impacts of hundreds of revolutionary emerging technologies on global culture, industry and society, is unparalleled. Recognised for the past six years as one of the world’s foremost futurists, innovation and strategy experts Matthew is an international speaker who helps governments, investors, multi-nationals and regulators around the world envision, build and lead an inclusive, sustainable future. A rare talent Matthew’s recent work includes mentoring Lunar XPrize teams, re-envisioning global education and training with the G20, and helping the world’s largest organisations envision and ideate the future of their products and services, industries, and countries. Matthew's clients include three Prime Ministers and several governments, including the G7, Accenture, Aon, Bain & Co, BCG, Credit Suisse, Dell EMC, Dentons, Deloitte, E&Y, GEMS, Huawei, JPMorgan Chase, KPMG, Lego, McKinsey, PWC, Qualcomm, SAP, Samsung, Sopra Steria, T-Mobile, and many more.

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