Amazon’s “Just Walk Out” is perfectly named. When you’re shopping in a marketplace with “Just Walk Out” tech, you’re supposed to literally just walk out. But there’s something behaviorally that tells you not to.
We’re conditioned to pay for our items after we’re done shopping. But with Amazon’s tech, consumers swipe their card first, enter the store, grab their items and “Just Walk Out.” It's counterintuitive at first, but once shoppers go through, it’s a breeze. Retailers call it a contactless or frictionless shopping experience. The only time the consumer engages with store employees is when they check an ID for the purchase of alcohol.
My introduction to the concept came at Texas A&M on Sept. 10. In full disclosure, I was there to watch my alma mater, Appalachian State, play the Aggies. But A&M’s Deputy Athletics Director Chris Park and Levy Restaurants Vice President Chris Warner, met me before the game to test out what they’re calling “March In and Out.”
A&M has three concession spaces that they’ve added this season using the Amazon tech. College Station's Kyle Field is the first college venue where it is in effect. A&M’s concessionaire, Levy Restaurants, introduced the tech to the school and the response has been off the charts. It essentially cuts shopping time in half.
Warner: “As a company, we’re committed to reducing lines and wait times — making things more convenient and accessible. ... If you look at the stadium experience, from parking to security, food and beverage and restrooms, the more we can make those areas easier, the better it is for everyone.”
Levy and A&M share the overhead costs associated with the new marketplaces, from the cameras that monitor the shoppers to transaction fees.
No word yet on whether Levy will attempt to take the Amazon tech to other stadiums where it is the concessionaire. Warner said they’re currently evaluating it.
This story originally appeared in Sports Business Journal, an affiliated publication.
