After about a year of prep, Amazon is almost ready to roll out its cashierless store concept.
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The store uses algorithms to identify customers as they enter the site, to determine what they are purchasing and to automatically charge their Amazon accounts once they leave.
The initial plan was unveiled last December and was supposed to launch in early 2017. But Amazon hit a snag in March when technical difficulties prevented the app from properly tracking items, causing the e-commerce giant to put a hold on it.
While there are still challenges with the technology, the cashierless portion of it has improved and will soon be ready for the masses, Bloomberg reports.
One remaining kink has to do with tracking groups of people rather than individuals. Engineers are still trying to determine who to charge if a couple shops together. To combat this issue, focus groups are being used to conduct more tests from a building in Seattle.
It is unclear exactly when Amazon Go will be officially introduced to the broader market, but according to Bloomberg, hiring has recently shifted from engineers and research scientists to construction managers and marketers, meaning Amazon is shifting its focus from research and design to sales and promotions of the store.
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