Amazon Go, a Store with No Checkout and No Customer Engagement

Amazon launched an amazing idea: a retail convenience store with no checkout. No cashier takes your money; you just get your stuff and walk out the door. As of now, you have to be an Amazon employee so you have access to the store, and the sensors know what you bought and charge your account.

This seems really cool, but a key part of retail is customer engagement. When I go to Trader Joe’s, one of the most important experiences I have is with the person checking me out. They look at what I bought and ask me how my day is going. They comment on what I purchased as though they care about me.

Just walking through a store with zero checkout would feel kind of ghostly and strange. In the future, if this technology is adopted, it really needs to build in some customer contact—the person who cares about you—somewhere in the shopping experience. After all, lots of people choose where to shop based on that little bit of simple engagement.