Supermarkets without cashiers and with cameras and AI that calculate and charge the value of purchases at the exit. Continente, Galp and Brisa are already adopting this experiment.
The future of retail may be closer than you think and Artificial Intelligence is going to be part of it. Shift4 (NYSE:FOUR), a specialist in integrated payments, commerce technology and mobile payments provider, and Sensei, a leading Portuguese company in technological innovation, have entered into a partnership, which is currently being developed in Portugal.
The result is a new “invisible supermarket” concept, in which customers can enter stores with the contactless technology of their debit or credit card or cell phone. Once inside, Sensei’s technology, with a fusion of cameras, computer vision, AI and sensors, tracks customers’ choices and charges the exact amount at the exit.
“At Shift4, we provide direct payments, without intermediaries, for in-person and online purchases. On the one hand, no upfront costs to enter stores, no app downloads and no sharing of personal information; on the other, our solution eliminates the need for customers to use traditional cash machines,” explains Michael Isaacman, CCO of Shift4.
Sensei’s technology includes real-time tracking of what each person has in their basket, meaning that at the end of their shopping, customers can see their basket with all the products they have chosen before they leave the store. The correct amount of the purchase is automatically charged to them in a single transaction.
For retailers, it’s possible to manage inventory in real time using the data provided by AI; and they can also get a comprehensive view of consumer behavior – across countries, currencies and channels.
According to the partner companies, this solution has several benefits, including:
Privacy
Customers can maintain privacy without using biometrics or facial recognition as they add or remove items from their virtual basket;
Skip the line
Customers can avoid queues and waiting times, with a shopping experience for stores of all sizes;
Immediate Go-Live
Retailers can quickly integrate new products with highly optimized neural network training, which guarantees a fast and adaptable retail experience;
24/7 availability
The stores can operate 24 hours a day and seven days a week, as they offer a fast, ready-to-go configuration with constant reliability.
This partnership is currently being developed in Portugal, but should be the start of a potential expansion to other countries.
Brisa, Galp and Continente are some of the companies already adopting this experience.
“We are proud to be pioneering a visionary shopping experience, eliminating barriers and paving the way for a new era in autonomous retail. Customers already using this solution are at the forefront of the retail revolution, enjoying a seamless, efficient and privacy-focused shopping experience – and setting the standard for the future,” says Vasco Portugal, CEO of Sensei.