Hudson Licenses Amazon’s Just Walk Out Cashierless Technology

Need to Know

• Hudson, the travel convenience store chain, is launching Amazon’s Just Walk Out in select stores, starting in Dallas.
• The technology allows customers to enter a store using a credit card, shop, and exit the store without interacting with a cashier.
• Customers are charged for each item they are carrying when they leave the store.
• Hudson staff will focus on assisting customers while they shop, rather than ringing items in.

Analysis

Hudson is introducing Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology in select locations, allowing customers to simply leave stores with the items they want to purchase, with no need to interact with a cashier.

Just Walk Out requires customers to use a credit card to enter a store; a series of cameras, sensors, and deep learning then track items customers put into their shopping carts, adding them to a virtual shopping cart. The customer’s credit card is charged for the items in their virtual shopping cart after the customer walks out with the items they wish to purchase. At Hudson, which is a chain of travel convenience stores, these purchases can include Grab & Go food and drink items, electronics, and PPE products. The new tech is being implemented with COVID-19 anxieties in mind: it will not only minimize checkout-line friction but will also allow customers to enjoy contactless shopping experiences.

“Today’s traveler is progressively more connected, mobile, and time-sensitive—and they have higher expectations for convenience, safety, and speed during their shopping experiences,” said Brian Quinn, EVP and COO of Hudson. “The addition of Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology perfectly complements our current digital footprint, providing travelers with yet
another quick, secure, and contactless shopping experience that meets their needs.”

Hudson is piloting its use of Just Walk Out technology at a concept store at Dallas Love Field Airport. The travel convenience chain has been working to make its stores safer throughout the pandemic, including by implementing contactless, self-checkout lanes, and introducing 24/7 PPE vending machines last summer.

Amazon first announced that it would be licensing its Just Walk Out technology to third party retailers in March of last year. The retailer has been using the contactless checkout option in its Amazon Go stores for years, to significant success. Recently, Amazon introduced Amazon One, a “pay by palm” contactless shopping solution that uses palm scans paired with credit cards to enable cashier-free checkout—and potential future consideration for Hudson and other stores like it.