The Q chain of cashier-less stores – Take and Go – is using advanced autonomous shopping technology to change the retail shopping industry.
They opened their pilot location, which contains a grocery store, pharmacy and deli, on Rothschild Boulevard in Tel Aviv Tuesday for reporters to get a look at how the system works. There are no checkout lines at the store, letting you walk right out.
Backed by heavyweight grocery magnate Rami Levy, this concept can help smaller, lower income communities where building and staffing a grocery store could be difficult, according to Q CEO Natalie Eisenberg. The lack of human capital also allows the store to sell items at prices that are similar to a standard grocery store. However, the goal is to build stores like these across Israel and the world.
“We believe we’re heading to an [autonomous future],” Eisenberg said. “Here you can see grocery products, pharmacy products. Q has the potential to sell anything. It can replace any brick and mortar store.”
When you arrive at the store for the first time, you scan your fingerprint and link it with a credit card and your phone number. Your phone and credit card numbers are stored on a secure server. Erez Gur, founder and CEO of Cyborg – the technology used in the store – said the company has no interest in selling your information to third parties.
Then you scan your finger again to enter the store. Once inside, your fingerprint is the key to all of the shelves within the store. Each item you remove from the shelf is automatically added to your cart. If you change your mind, you can put the item back, and it’s automatically removed from your cart. Upon leaving the store, you scan your finger again and it charges your credit card.
“We’ve turned your finger into a way to buy goods,” Gur said. “You don’t forget your finger anywhere. It’s a secure method of purchase, and it’s also very intuitive. You can’t replicate a fingerprint.”
The shelves use cameras and weight sensors to keep inventory of how much product is on each shelf. Each shelf is designated for a certain item. If you make a mistake and put something back in the wrong spot, the system will eventually correct itself and issue you a refund for the misplaced item.
There was even a shelf with alcohol that required photo ID verification. Each ID is viewed by a real person, as required by Israeli law, then deleted. The shopper takes a picture of their ID and it's sent for verification. You’ll get a text once it's verified, then you can open that type of shelf at any Q location.
According to Gur, this system is even more advanced than the Amazon Go concept in the United States. Amazon Go now has a checkout mechanism on its shopping carts, as opposed to Q’s fingerprint model. He claimed Amazon Go’s operating costs are much higher than a normal grocery store, quoting Amazon reports.
The automation continues once you leave the store. Using machine learning, the store can recognize buying patterns and remind you to buy something you might have forgotten. It also recognizes family members. That way, if your spouse is in the store, it’ll suggest you buy things they normally take. They’re also working on a cellphone app.
The manpower required to operate one of these stores is minimal. For now, employees are only needed to restock the shelves. There is nobody inside the store, but there are phone numbers to call if you need assistance or there is an emergency. The stores are also able to operate 24/7.
Levy didn’t say exactly when we could see this kind of grocery shopping go mainstream. However, he said that it takes about a month to build a store, and that ten can be built at the same time. Cyborg has not spoken to other grocery chains about this technology, according to Gur.
Some roadblocks with the technology include getting used to the fingerprint system. For someone not used to the technology, it takes a while to figure out the optimal position to scan your finger at the shelves. It was also difficult to see some of the products on the upper shelves.
Additionally, even though there aren’t check out lines, you might find them when checking in. There was only one fingerprint scanner at the entrance, which created a short queue outside the store. However, that’s likely due to the small size of the pilot store and the larger-than-average presence at the store because of the press event.