[NRF 2020] We tested Amazon Go in New York. A bluffing techno but …

Difficult to escape the phenomenon Amazon Go. While in New York begins the NRF, the global show dedicated to retail, the concept launched in 2018 attracts many European professionals in the sector, curious to test the store where you leave without having physically gone through the checkout. On the program of almost the majority of official retail tours, Amazon Go also attracts a large number of media, and L’Usine Digitale is no exception. We visited one of the city’s eight stores, located on the edge of Bryant Park in the heart of Manhattan, and open since December 2019.

The location is ideal, not far from the New York Public Library, New York University Division of Libraries and Georgetown University. It is teeming with students who mingle with the clientele of Midtown offices, fond of snacks and quick meals. We lent ourselves to the game, and bought two references from the store. Is the buying journey as smooth as we say, is the experience unique? The answer is yes.

At the entrance, you have to start by downloading the Amazon Go application. It is obviously quick and easy thanks to a WiFi network that could not be more efficient. Then all you have to do is identify yourself with your classic Amazon account, and choose your payment method. A QR code is then generated, and allows you to identify yourself at the input terminals.

The interior of the store is identical to other Amazon Go. Less than 200 square meters of surface and at a glance 1500 to 2000 references. A salad and some fruit, correct but not necessarily cheap, then head for the exit. Note that a dispenser allows you to choose the drink of your choice. That’s it, it’s over. The app updates and instantly indicates that a purchase has been made. However, you have to wait a few minutes for the itemized bill to appear. It is also sent by e-mail.

On the shelf side, however, we will note many products out of stock on the day of the test, Saturday January 12, 2020 around 5 p.m.

Technology is everywhere but invisible. Only the terminals at the entrance and the sensors on the ceiling remind us that the store is automated. The sensors identified the products perfectly, and payment was made virtually at the output terminals.

Amazon has thought of everything as usual, and customer satisfaction is not forgotten. For each product purchased, the consumer can leave a comment… or express a problem, such as for example a bad product identification, or a defective product. Amazon then indicates that the product will not be billed. Is this the source of fraud on the part of buyers? No way to know, but the update of the receipt is in any case carried out in real time.

Limited shopping experience

The device is effective, but the place is not very welcoming, despite the presence of two employees to guide visitors. No cash register noise, no or few interactions. If, near the entrance, tables allow you to consume on the spot, a gray Amazon Locker placed next to it doesn’t make the place particularly welcoming, even for a quick lunch.

While it is true that Amazon’s technology can address many of the issues faced by retailers – reducing queues, increasing store opening hours and reducing the number of employees – a. do we want this concept to shape the future of commerce? There is a real appetite for cashless stores, both in view of the enthusiasm of visitors but also of the cashless store solutions that are developing on the market: AiFi, Smart Shelf, Zippin, Belive.ia, Mishipay… Promising technologies, but retailers must reconcile incredible technological progress with the pleasure of the visitor to go to the store.

Some brands are successful, others are working there. If Amazon’s technological advance is evident in this area, although not very industrialized if we compare it to the large-scale deployments experienced by the China, the shopping experience remains very limited from the consumer’s point of view. Short offer, correct and not necessarily cheap products, missing references … Once the “wow” effect has passed, can a consumer go to a store with the only criterion being that there is no queue at the checkout? ? Amazon will undoubtedly have to find other arguments to weigh in the physical trade.