Zippin: checkout-free stores the next big thing
US startup Zippin reports a “great deal of interest from retailers, both big and small” in its automated shopping technology.
“Many large format retailers have expressed interest in building a ‘store within a store’. We are also being approached by property owners, looking for ways to offer retail within office buildings or hotel lobbies,” says CEO and Co-founder, Krishna Motukuri, in an interview with RTIH.
The venture recently launched a concept store in San Francisco’s SOMA neighbourhood to showcase its technology. Its patent-pending approach uses AI, machine learning and visual cognition technology, to banish checkout lines and self-scanners. Zippin says that its platform can be easily deployed by retailers.
“The general consensus has been that this is the next wave and the biggest movement to affect retail since the advent of e-commerce. Just as self-driving vehicles are about to disrupt the transportation and mobility industry, checkout-free shopping is about to transform the retail industry,” says Motukuri.
He concludes: “Keep in mind that, despite the popularity of shopping online, bricks and mortar retail still accounts for more than 90% of all purchases made in the US. With Zippin, traditional retailers can now compete against e-commerce companies, which until now have had the advantage of leveraging a host of key data about their customers.”
Read the full interview here.