A new Amazon Go convenience store without cashiers has opened in downtown Seattle in the US, Amazon has announced.
It’s the first time a cashier-free store has opened outside its corporate campus.
The new store is 1,450sqm, which is smaller than the campus store. It has no liquor aisle, nor does it stock grocery items such as milk and bread.
But it does stock fresh food courtesy of an Amazon kitchen facility in Seattle. There are also non-perishable goods such as lollies, chewing gum, drinks and takeaway oatmeal packs.
Amazon Vice President Gianna Puerini, who oversees Amazon Go, says she expects a higher proportion of office workers among the clientele compared with the first store. This is because the first store is near a residential area, despite lying on Amazon’s company campus.
“The population here is a little different,” Ms Puerini told The Seattle Times during a tour of the new store.
Amazon Go breaking into grocery
Amazon is trying to break into the grocery market, which makes up a massive portion of consumer shopping. It’s also a portion that has proven stubbornly resistant to the online revolution.
As well as Go, Amazon has also launched Fresh, a grocery-delivery service, and now owns Whole Foods Markets.
Amazon says it wants to offer its customers a “menu” of options by which to order foodstuffs. Customers “will choose the ways that work for them”, Ms Puerini said.
Earlier this year, Amazon confirmed plans for Go stores in Chicago and San Francisco. Industry analysts say the company evidently wants to build its own stores rather than license its technology to other retailers.
Ms Puerini was tight-lipped about precise plans for the two planned stores and any “future Seattle” outlets.
