When Retail Business Services began testing the 150-square-foot frictionless store it developed with UST in late 2019, known as “Lunchbox,” the grocery operations division said it hoped to sell the technology to offices, college campuses and airports — an approach similar to the one Amazon is taking with its Go store technology, which is set to debut inside Hudson airport retail stores.
Now, UST is taking ownership of the concept, which it’s marketing to grocery stores, convenience retailers and other businesses. According to UST, the Walk-In, Walk-Out system can be installed in a retail location in eight weeks. Customers who visit stores equipped with the technology announce their arrival by scanning a QR code in a mobile app, collect items from store shelves and are charged for their purchases automatically.
UST’s approach closely resembles the cashierless technology developed by other companies as demand for a fast, contactless checkout grows. In October, one of those suppliers, Standard, deployed a camera-based system at a college convenience store described as the first retail location in the United States retrofitted with the technology. The store, at the University of Houston, is entirely automated, making it especially well-suited to a busy environment where students typically have little time to purchase food as they rush between classes, according to Chartwells Higher Ed, a division of international foodservice company Compass Group, which operates the facility.
Source: Grocery Dive
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