Amazon may possibly solve the biggest problem that retailers across US are facing
One of the biggest problems that retailers face today is theft. Shoplifting has been an illegal practice, perhaps for centuries now, and it is mind-boggling that it is still as widely prevalent as it is today. Stores have had no choice but to resort to extreme measures, like locking up their products, to prevent being a victim of such illicit activities. However, there may be a solution for everyone as Amazon has seemingly figured out how to best deal with the shoplifting issue.
The problem with extreme measures like locking products up is that customers’ shopping experience is ruined. It is annoying to ask for help from a store employee every time you want to buy or even just take a look at something. Shoppers who are not socially confident may end up having a jarring experience. So, what can be the solution to this crisis? As per Amazon, it includes investing a ton in technology.
There are several Amazon Go stores in the country, and customers can simply walk into one, take what they need, and walk out. Of course, certain conditions would have to be met for this to work. This facility is called a Just Walk Out Shopping experience. "At select Amazon locations, you can use Amazon One or enter with your credit card. Once you’re in the store, take the products you want off the shelf, and go! No lines, no checkout,” the company shared on its website.
As per a report in The Street, Amazon uses camera vision and sensor fusion, or RFID technology, to keep track of the products in these stores. Typical Amazon Go stores require shoppers to download the Amazon mobile app or create an Amazon account so that they can scan a QR code upon entry. In the future, this can be made simpler as all shoppers would be required to do is insert their credit card into a gated turnstile to enter the stores.
Grabango is a rival to Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology, and its Chief Business Officer, Andrew Radlow, believes that retailers having the means to track the products in their stores could greatly help in the prevention of shoplifting. “When you know every product in the store, and you track the product as they’re selected and they make their way toward the exit, you know where every product is, and you know which product is paid for and which ones aren’t," Radlow said.
“So you have a very strong accounting for the movement of merchandise, and so the concept of theft really vanishes because you’re constantly charging for products in an automatic fashion,” he added. One could see this technology being used in the future for most retailers, but the problem with that an enormous amount of technology would be required to cover every single store, and that won’t come cheap.
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