Top 11 Checkout Free Stores and Solution Providers in '24

It is predicted that long checkout lines costs $37.7 million ¹ to the companies since these queues demotivate people from shopping. One way to tackle this down is adopting Checkout-free store systems. These stores combine high tech sensors and cameras to track shopping of an individual and direct their invoice automatically. As a result, the customers can shop and leave without a checkout queue.

Every company has its unique approach with different levels of advancement, which can lead to confusions. In this article, we provide a list of stores and explain the company approaches.  

1. Amazon Go

Online retailer Amazon opened its beta version of the cashier-less store on December 5 in 2016, in Seattle. The 1800-square-foot retail store was only for employees. Then the store became open to the public on January 22, 2018. As of 2021, 27 Amazon Go stores are located in 4 different states: Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Seattle.

Amazon uses computer vision and deep learning algorithms. Amazon calls this technology “Just Walk Out” and uses approaches used in autonomous driving vehicles. Amazon uses various cameras and sensors to see what customers are putting into their shopping bags. 

Customers scan a QR code when they enter the store through an app connected to their Amazon.com account. After shopping, customers can leave the store. Amazon automatically charges the customers’ Amazon account, and the receipt is sent to the app.

It took quite some effort to improve the system. During the pilot, Amazon employees have been trying to fool the system through challenges like wearing Pikachu costumes while shopping. ² Though the system passed the costume test, it has difficulty detecting customers who shop in groups, such as families.

Funnily, the Go stores, which are meant to reduce queues, were causing queues during their initial launch as people lined up to see how they work:

2. Sam’s Club

Sam’s club is a Walmart owned grocery store in Dallas. The store opened in 2018. The store relies on Walmart’s solution for an autonomous checkout system, the Scan & Go program. Walmart introduced this program in select stores between 2012 and 2014. 

The app allows customers to scan the products with their smartphones and pay by scanning a barcode for their total purchase. Compared to other systems, this is the easiest to deploy system. 

• The app utilizes machine learning and purchase data to generate a shopping list for users. It automatically updates the list once items are purchased. 
• Customers can search for an item and navigate in the store to find the item.

As of June 2020, Walmart is testing new self-checkout kiosks at a store in Fayetteville, Ark.³

In this checkout experience, Walmart combined a self-checkout system with human guidance where a host is always available to make the checkout frictionless.

3. 7-Eleven

7-eleven stores in Dallas introduced a Scan and pay self-checkout program in 2018. The system of the app is similar to Walmart’s Scan and Go app. These both require mobile phones. In both systems, customers should manually scan items. 

• In order to use the 7-Eleven app, the customers should install the app and register for the 7 Rewards loyalty program. 
• Customers shop by scanning the barcodes of the items to this app.  
• They put their items in plastic bags at the scan & pay station. 
• The customers pay via Apple or Google Pay as well as a debit or credit card at the scan and pay station. 
• Finally, they receive a QR code to confirm their leave from the store. 

4. Standard Cognition stores

The standard cognition company uses computer vision technology to track people and products in real-time in the store. Deep learning and image recognition techniques enable Standard Cognition to recognize items. Brandon Ogle, co-founder, and an engineer, said that the system is correct 98 percent of the time. 

Standard’s checkout free platform is advantageous because: 

• It has light-touch installation, with cameras only on the store ceiling
• It accepts credit, cash  and IC cards
• It doesn’t require any shelf sensors and works with any store design

These technologies are installed in different retailer stores along with the standard store, the company store, in San Francisco and Tokyo. Standard cognition is a competitor of Amazon Go in the USA. However, it is the first company bringing AI empowered checkout systems to Japan. 

Standard cognition emphasizes their policy on privacy protection. The store does not monitor the customer with their face. It rather identifies the customer with a unique color. This identification is not lost when the customer moves around or the number of customers increases. That is in line with federal laws in many states in the USA since these states ban facial recognition technology.  

5. Wheelys 247 store

Wheelys had a concept like Uber for retail. They provided different mobile sales vehicles and experimented with mobile stores that enabled self-checkout. ⁴ However, with the COVID-19, they couldn’t raise a series A and ceased operations.⁵

They had developed a store called Moby⁶, where customers can enter through sliding glass doors with an app including their pre-registered credit card information. In the store, there are no employees, no cashier, no queue, no waiting. Customers scan and bag the products (including fruits, potato chips, coffee, magazines, and even sneakers) with the app and then leave. The app automatically charges the customers.

The Swedish company was testing the 24-hour mobile grocery store in Shangai. The store was also planned to be a self-driving vehicle. However, self-driving technology has not been implemented yet. The company was claiming that Amazon Go copied their idea before they stopped operations.

6. Shufersal Stores

Shufersal is Israel’s largest supermarket chain.⁷ They have 272 stores across the country. The chain agreed to install cashierless checkout technology to their markets in 2018. 

The technology they decided on is developed by Trigo Vision. ⁸ Trigo Vision’s system uses basic off-the-shelf connected cameras, computer vision and machine learning. These cameras identify products people put in their cart. 

The shopping process works as:

• Shoppers enter the store by scanning a membership card.
• When they grab and place the products in their baskets, their final bill will be sent to their card.
• They will be able to pay via their pre-loaded payment information in the store’s membership system.
• If they do not want to add any payment information to the membership card, then they will need to use a multi-tender payment kiosk. 

7. Aldi Stores

Aldi is a German owned discount supermarket chain with over 10,000 stores in 20 countries. ⁹ Today, it is the UK’s fifth largest supermarket group. 

The company is famous for fast checkout lines. Nonetheless, the company allocated a budget to develop an autonomous checkout system. They tested the Aldi checkout free store in London. In this system, customers scan a smartphone app to enter. They keep shopping while technology tracks the items they choose and charge them. Then, once customers pay through their card, they can leave the store. 

White-label solution providers

These companies develop systems and implement them in a whitelabel manner in 3rd party stores. They do not have their own stores. In addition to these, companies like Amazon Go both operate their own stores and also provide their technology to retail companies.

8. AI Retailer Systems

AI retailer systems was officially established a year ago, in September 2020 in Zurich. ¹⁰ The company targets European retailers. They focus on delivering the 24/7 in-store shopping experience. Their checkout-free system works as following:

• Customers enter the store with a payment medium they decide. It can be a credit card, debit card or mobile payment.
• While customers shop, the virtual card will be updating automatically to add or remove the item.
• Finally, depending on the payment method, payment will be confirmed.

In addition to checkout-free systems, the company provides remote assistance with the remote surveillance operator. The operator detects a non-shopping behavior including emergencies.

The system also allows for an effective and consistent in-store analytics. Retailers can view the layout and item placements every day, month and period.

9. Grabango

Grabango was founded in 2016 with a mission to save people’s time.¹¹ In a year, the company completed their first automated store. By 2020, Grabango signed agreements with top 5 global grocers and filed over 30 patents. The company corresponds to the demand to install cashier-less systems of retailers.

Grabango also uses small cameras and sensors mounted to the ceiling. They benefit from algorithms powered by AI and computer vision tech. These cameras detect products despite elemental and branding changes.

Grabango has two separate approaches to checkout:

• In the first way, customers download and install the Grabango app to “grab-n-go”. They place all items in a bag and walk out. The mobile app charges them accordingly.
• The second approach is to grab items and go to a checkout stand. At the stand, the cashier does not need to scan every item. They already know the total items gathered so all customers are asked is to pay via cash, credit, Apple Pay, etc.

By doing so, Grabando both allows customers to checkout with cashier or cashier-less and still manages to reduce waiting lines.

10. Imagr for Smart Card Solutions 

Before Amazon and Standard Cognition launched their solution, Imagr showed SmartCart powered by image recognition technology ¹². Just like a checkout free store, once you link your phone to the cart with an app, scanning is not necessary. The computer vision system recognizes the products in the cart. Then you pay online via the app and leave the store.

They now have some pilot deployments in countries such as Japan.

11. Trigo Vision

Trigo Vision is a Tel Aviv-based autonomous retail store.¹³ The company modify existing stores by placing ceiling-mounted cameras. These cameras automatically identify and records items in the store. Customers are either automatically billed or they pay by cash or card. To be billed automatically, they are asked to register their details.

The cameras are demanded because they prevent shoplifting and allow inventory updates. Also, the data gathered by the company is insightful for customer behavior.

The company is currently partnering with global grocery chains across globe.

If you believe your business will benefit from these technologies, let us help you find the right vendor:

External Links

• 1. MClellan, Charles (2018). “DATA, AI, IOT: THE FUTURE OF RETAIL.” ZDNET. Revisited January 16, 2023.
• 2. Peterson, Hayley (2017). “Amazon is on the cusp of opening its cashier-less stores — but it has one major challenge to overcome.” Insider. Revisited January 16, 2023.
• 3. “New Checkout Experience Seeks to Eliminate the Wait and Add Options at the Register.” Walmart. 2020. Revisited January 16, 2023.
• 4. Chan, Athena (2017). “Wheelys 247: Meet Shanghai’s Unmanned, High-Tech Retail Store.”Techtimes. Revisited January 16, 2023.
• 5. Chan, Athena (2017). “Wheelys 247: Meet Shanghai’s Unmanned, High-Tech Retail Store.”Techtimes. Revisited January 16, 2023.
• 6. Stratten, Jack (2019). “Is Moby Mart the roaming, automated store of the future?” Insider Trends. Revisited January 16, 2023.
• 7. Browne, Michael (2018). “Supermarket chain brings cashierless to Israel.” Supermarket News. Revisited January 16, 2023.
• 8. Trigo retail. Revisited January 16, 2023.
• 9. Aldi.Revisited January 16, 2023.
• 10. AI retailer systems. Revisited January 16, 2023.
• 11. Grabango Revisited January 16, 2023.
• 12. Imagr. Revisited January 16, 2023.
• 13. Trigo Retail. Revisited January 16, 2023.