Amazon Go May Be Nearing Launch

Amazon’s cashierless store may be ready to go soon according to a report from Bloomberg.

The Amazon Go team is said to have worked out many of the technical bugs and is starting to hire store-related personnel.

The “just walk out” technology has improved markedly, says Bloomberg's source. "And in a sign that the concept is almost ready for prime time, hiring for the Amazon Go team has shifted from the engineers and research scientists needed to perfect the platform to the construction managers and marketers who would build and promote the stores to consumers."

Amazon announced its was piloting Amazon Go, a cashierless store in downtown Seattle, in December 2016. The solution lets customers walk in, fill their bag, and walk out without ever stopping at the POS.
 
The e-commerce giant reportedly began working on the project in 2012, and is currently piloting the technology in a 1,800 square-foot test store open only to its employees. The 'Just Walk Out' technology automatically detects when products are taken from or returned to the shelves and keeps track of them in a virtual cart. When you’re done shopping, you can just leave the store. Shortly after, your Amazon account will be charged and you will be sent a receipt.

The store was expected to be open to the public in early 2017, but the company postponed the launch to work out technical difficulties, The Wall Street Journal reported in March. According to the report, Amazon's sensors were only able to track approximately 20 people in Amazon Go marketplaces at a time.