FRICTIONLESS SHOPPING IS NO LONGER JUST A DREAM

 

A few years ago, Amazon Go disrupted the retail experience by offering fully cashierless stores—no lines, no registers, just grab and go. It’s a fascinating concept, but is that model realistic for most businesses?

 

While its infrastructure may remain exclusive, the core principles of frictionless shopping are not. In fact, they are widely applicable. Let’s look at some key lessons we can learn from Amazon Go, and the automation strategies that retail leaders can implement now.

 

The Amazon Go Model

 

Amazon Go stores operate using Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology—a combination of computer vision, sensors, and machine learning that tracks what customers pick up and charges them when they exit, via their Amazon account or app. The system eliminates queues and checkout entirely. Yet, this sophistication comes at steep cost and infrastructure demands, making it impractical for most enterprises.

 

Core Takeaways from Amazon Go

 

1. Customers Hate Waiting

 

Speed remains Amazon Go’s greatest draw. Removing queues results in significant CX gains. Research consistently links long checkout lines with lost sales and diminished satisfaction.

 

Implement Today:

 

- Thoughtfully deploy self-checkout (SCO) to streamline flow—cutting wait times without full-scale cashierless investment.

- Implement self-service kiosks for things like online pick-ups and returns, avoiding queues at the customer service desk.

 

2. Seamless Broadly Wins

 

Frictionless shopping isn't just functional—it's memorable. When done well, with the customer experience at the centre, even partial automation that simplifies the customer journey can evoke a higher-end experience.

 

Implement Today:

 

- Optimise your SCO and kiosk interfaces with clear UX, full payment choice (cash, card, mobile), and minimal steps that emulate effortless interaction.

 

3. Data & Loyalty Go Hand in Hand

 

One of Amazon’s biggest advantages is customer-specific insight. It knows who you are, what you buy, and what offers you respond to. A unified commerce engine gives brick-and-mortar retailers access to similar power—if you can connect purchase history and behaviour across your channels.

 

Implement Today:

 

- Integrate kiosks, SCOs, website and enterprise apps with a unified commerce platform, such as Flooid.

- Link self-checkout usage to loyalty profiles. Then surface targeted offers, personalised product suggestions, or receipt-based rewards—automatically.

 

4. Labour Optimisation—not Elimination

 

Amazon Go replaced checkout cashiers—but didn’t remove human interaction entirely. Staff shifted into restocking, customer greeting, and service roles.

 

Implement Today:

 

- Use automation such as SCO, kiosks and cash automation to free front-line staff from repetitive tasks.

- Reassign employees as “digital concierges” or floor hosts to support customers and enhance service.

 

What You Can Implement Today

 

Initiative | Customer & Operational Impact

 

SCO & Self‑Service Kiosks | Reduce queues, allow staff redeployment

 

Cash Automation | Fast, secure, accurate cash handling; integrates with all forms of checkout and reduces manual processing costs

 

Streamlined UX | Simplified prompts and intuitive flows boost self-service adoption and reduce friction

 

Unified Commerce | Enable customers to integrate loyalty rewards, deliver genuine personalisation, and keep a common basket across mobile, web, SCO and manned checkouts

 

Full Payment Choice | Avoid frustrations at checkout by integrating cash, card, and mobile payments

 

Smart Staff Deployment | Shift employees from tills to guest-facing duties; increased upselling, support, and loyalty building

 

Real ROI You Can Measure

 

- Labour Cost Savings: SCO and self-service kiosks allow one staff member to monitor multiple checkouts—reducing headcount at tills while supporting reallocation.

 

- Reduced Cash Handling Costs: Two-thirds of cash-related expense comes from manual handling; automating cash speeds up processing and reduces shrinkage.

 

- Decrease in Errors & Losses: Automation minimises human mistakes and improves inventory accuracy via real-time transaction syncing across systems.

 

- Boosted Revenue Through Upselling: SCO and self-service kiosks can deliver targeted offers and promotions at the point of sale, driving higher average spend per transaction.

 

Future‑Proofing Without Re‑Inventing the Wheel

 

You don’t need Amazon’s shopping ecosystem to deliver a smooth checkout experience. Begin with modular, scalable upgrades such as deploying self-service in high‑traffic zones and automating cash workflows.

 

Meanwhile, a unified commerce platform acts as the connective tissue that allows retailers to combine customer-facing automation (like kiosks and SCOs) with backend intelligence (like loyalty data and inventory management). Instead of operating in silos, every part of the store works in sync, and that seamless integration will translate into a more frictionless customer experience.

 

Although Amazon is scaling back operations like Just Walk Out in Amazon Fresh stores—shifting toward more flexible solutions like smart carts—it continues licensing its technology to other formats (e.g., airports, stadiums). This underscores that frictionless retail is still evolving, and many of its benefits are available today through proven automation tools.

 

Amazon Go defined a vision of frictionless retail, but its core benefits—speed, convenience, data-driven loyalty, and labour efficiency—are within reach today via more accessible automation strategies.

 

Ready to unify and simplify your checkout experience?

 

Glory, along with our subsidiary companies Acrelec and Flooid, provide a full spectrum of retail solutions — from cash automation, SCO and kiosk solutions, to bringing everything together under a comprehensive unified commerce platform.

 

Have a chat with one of our team to discover how we can transform the checkout experience in your business.