Summary
In 2012, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos was asked if the company would ever open physical stores. Bezos said shoppers were well-served by existing physical retailers and that Amazon wasn't interested in launching a "me-too" product.
Amazon continues to use Just Walk Out in its grab-and-go marts and UK Fresh stores. The company in 2018 planned to open as many as 3,000 Amazon Go stores within a few years.
When Amazon debuted Just Walk Out in January 2018, it was a "quake moment" for the industry. Walmart and "almost every other retailer" consider developing their own vision-based checkout systems.
More than 200 third-party stores have paid Amazon to install the cashierless system. The company expects to double the number of third- party Just Walk Out stores this year.
Amazon sets up Just Walk Out stores by first creating a 3D scan using LiDAR machines or iPads. The company's "primary focus" is selling the technology to third-party businesses.
In 2022, Amazon moved the team behind Just Walk Out from its retail organization to AWS. Analyst: Amazon still has a "long way to go" before the technology is ubiquitous.
