Retail technology innovation of the week: Downtown Spirits achieves Amazon Just Walk Out first
Retail Technology Innovation of the Week is a new series from RTIH highlighting stand out deployments, launches, and initiatives.
Every week, we will showcase forward thinking tech plays that have impressed our Editor and the Retail Technology Innovations Report judging panel, in the run up to the publication of the 2024 report early next year.
So far, we’ve showcased work being done by Ocado Retail, Decathlon, and Lacoste and now we’re turning our attention to Downtown Spirits.
The Seattle-based beer, wine and spirits retailer is gearing up to open the doors to its new, 4,200 square-foot location on 7th Avenue between Olive and Stewart, across from Pacific Place, featuring a fully checkout-free shopping experience powered by Amazon Just Walk Out technology.
This will take place on Thursday, 10th August.
Downtown Spirits is the first ever beer, wine, and spirits retailer to implement Just Walk Out technology made possible by artificial intelligence like computer vision and deep learning techniques, including generative AI, to accurately determine who took what in any retail environment.
Guests enter the store by using the Downtown Spirits app at the front door. The technology detects what shoppers take from or return to the shelves, and creates a virtual shopping session.
When people have finished, they are able to leave the store without having to wait in line, and their choice of payment method will be charged for the items they took with them.
“This technology allows us to streamline the in-store experience for shoppers and build on our reputation as Seattle’s finest merchant of wine and spirits,” says Downtown Spirits President Marques Warren.
“As a Seattle-based company with our headquarters only blocks away, we’re excited to see this cutting-edge purveyor of wine and spirits adopt Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology,” says Jon Jenkins, Vice President, AWS.
“Customers at Downtown Spirits will soon find an entirely frictionless way to purchase their favourite beverages.”
Connecting Downtown Spirits with Amazon Just Walk Out is CityHive, which provides Inventory management, customer identity and age verification management, checkout and payments capability.
The new location will carry a selection of 1,100 wines, including many rare and renowned Washington wines; 1,200 spirits, including a wide selection of local expressions; and 500 beers, half of which are local Washington state brews.
For those who wish to order ahead, pop in and pick up, Downtown Spirits is relaunching its website at downtownspirits.com.
Through the site, people can join the firm’s co-op and receive benefits such as unlimited free deliveries, savings on co-op item purchases, and access to limited releases.
Business memberships are also available and can be applied to up to 100 qualifying delivery addresses.
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