AI-Powered Autonomous Stores Usher in Next-Gen Retail for European Shoppers

It was a little over a decade ago that self-checkout technology started becoming mainstream in Europe.

Since then, the cashierless retail experience has gained traction in the region as self-service options are increasingly branching out into other retail sectors. The associated payment technologies of pay-at-pump fuel and touchscreen fast food ordering kiosks are now a common sight across the continent, buoyed by reduced staffing personnel and shorter queues.

To take it up a notch and improve the self-checkout experience, a number of companies have developed cutting-edge, artificial intelligence (AI)-powered solutions that hint at what the future of in-store retail may look like post-self-checkout kiosks.

Amazon’s “Just Walk Out” technology has been leading the charge in that regard, with the firm rolling out the cashierless tech in Amazon Fresh Stores in the U.S. and the U.K.

See also: Amazon’s ‘Just Walk Out’ Cashierless Tech Goes Big With New Grocery Store

Amazon’s smart grocery stores use a shopwide network of sensors and AI to keep track of exactly what people add and remove items from their baskets in real time. When shoppers are ready to leave, their connected accounts are automatically charged, instead of having to physically check out with a cashier or use a self-service kiosk.

Smart Checkout at Europe’s Biggest Grocery Chain

Europe’s largest grocery retailer Carrefour has also ventured into the AI-assisted shopping game.

The French multinational has launched its own smart checkout system that uses a similar system of cameras and scanners to monitor what shoppers have picked up off the shelves. The first Carrefour “Flash 10/10” concept store opened in Paris last year after the technology was piloted in a Carrefour City+ in the Mall of the Emirates.

Read more: Carrefour’s Digital-First Expansion Brings Cashierless Tech to French Shoppers

Where Carrefour’s Flash 10/10 differs from other AI-driven checkout solutions is that there are no barriers at the entrance to the store, and customers do not need to create an account or preconfigure an account with a connected card or bank account to be able to shop.

Shoppers who enter are tracked anonymously as a virtual avatar, making it easy for anyone to shop in a Flash 10/10 store without a Carrefour account.

Instead of doing away with payment kiosks entirely as Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology does, Carrefour has retained self-checkout terminals with traditional payment options, albeit in a more streamlined format.

Rather than customers having to scan each item individually, the kiosk already knows what they’ve picked up, leaving the customer to simply pay with their card, mobile wallet or cash before leaving.

Related: Germany’s Rewe Grocery Chain Opens Autonomous Store in Berlin

In June, it was announced that Rewe, the second-biggest food retail chain in Germany, and Israel-based computer vision company Trigo rolled out a second hybrid autonomous grocery store with a checkout-free experience in Berlin, a year after launching the first one in downtown Cologne.

Additionally, earlier this year, Polish convenience giant Żabka Group announced it had completed the opening of a chain of 25 autonomous stores using contactless, AI-powered computer vision technology.

Other European supermarket chains such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Aldi are all piloting some version of the AI-based frictionless shopping technology, a strong indication that contactless, frictionless and autonomous commerce is ushering in the future of retail for European shoppers.

Putting a Mobile Twist on Computer Vision

Part of the reason self-checkout kiosks took so long to hit the mass market is the significant costs involved in purchasing the digital hardware required to use this technology.

But German startup Nomitri is counting on a much cheaper middle step between the current European norm and the future of a fully-automated shopping and checkout experience.

The Berlin-based firm, which is looking to disrupt the retail point of sale market, provides physical retailers with an asset-light, low-cost checkout solution that shoppers can download on their mobile phones, without the need to install multiple cameras or sensors in stores or supermarkets.

See also: Low-Cost Self-Checkout System Aims to Disrupt Retail POS Market

“We understand that retailers don’t have the money to invest upfront on all this infrastructure, and they also don’t have the time and sophistication in terms of IT departments to set all this up,” the company’s co-founder and CEO, Trinh Le-Fiedler, told PYMNTS in an interview.

Read more: Biometric Checkout on the Horizon for UK Shoppers

Much like the high-tech smartstore model, Nomitri uses computer vision to automatically detect items without needing to scan a barcode.

However, because the startup packs its AI technology into a mobile-friendly software solution, all retailers need to do is to attach smartphone mounts to their shopping carts to enable customers to easily scan items with their mobile devices.

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