The British-based global travel retailer has opened a North American store that lets people pay without having to stand in line.
The new store is located in the new Terminal V at LaGuardia Airport in New York and it offers Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology to provide customers with a checkout-free experience. With the tap of a credit card, customers can enter the store, pick up their desired items and leave without having to line up at the cashier.
The store’s product assortment includes snacks for on-the-go travel, beverages and everyday essentials for travel. The Just Walk Out technology determines what customers take from or return to the shelves, and the credit card they used will be charged for the items they took after they leave the store. The platform utilises computer vision, sensor fusion, and machine-learning algorithms.
“Airport terminals can be very busy places, so we’re excited WHSmith has equipped their LaGuardia airport store with our Just Walk Out technology,” said Dilip Kumar, VP Physical Retail & Technology at Amazon. “Amazon’s Just Walk Out Shopping experience is designed to be convenient and effortless, so the new WHSmith store will be ideal for travellers who are in a hurry to pick up refreshments, reading materials, or gifts before or after their flights.”
