Aldi opens checkout-free store in London
Aldi, the UK’s fifth-largest supermarket, has opened its first checkout-free store in London. The Aldi Shop&Go concept store in Greenwich opened at 7am this morning for public testing, having been tested by Aldi colleagues in recent months.
The new trial store, which is situated on Greenwich High Street, allows customers to complete their shop without scanning a single product or having to go through a checkout.
Customers can download the Aldi Shop&Go app, which will allow them to enter the store, pick up their items, and then simply walk out when they have completed their shop. Once a customer leaves the store they will then be automatically charged for their shopping via their selected payment method and a receipt will appear in the app.
The system, provided by leading technology provider AiFi, uses specially positioned cameras to detect which products customers have picked up, before charging them to their Aldi Shop&Go account when they leave the store.
Customers wishing to purchase alcohol, or other Challenge 25 products, will be able to use facial age estimation technology to authorize their purchase. This technology, provided by Yoti, enables customers to confirm their age within seconds via the Aldi Shop&Go app. Those who opt to not use the system will instead be age verified by a store colleague.
Giles Hurley, CEO of Aldi UK and Ireland, said: “Today is the culmination of months of work, not least from the team here in Greenwich and I’m looking forward to seeing how customers react to our trial.
“This store utilises the very latest in retail technology offering Aldi’s award-winning products and unbeatable prices to customers in a new and innovative way. The team are really excited about seeing customers come in and experience Aldi Shop&Go.”
Lewis Esparon, Store Manager, said: “I cannot wait to show customers our new Aldi Shop&Go store. We have been working towards this day for several months now so it will be great to see how our customers react to the new technology.
“For us, steps like this are always about improving the customer experience and the whole team are looking forward to being on-hand and ready to help to ensure that experience is as smooth as ever.”
Here are some stores similar to Aldi’s checkout-free store in London:
- Amazon Go: This chain of convenience stores uses similar technology to Aldi Shop&Go, with cameras and sensors to track what customers take and automatically charge their Amazon accounts
- Amazon Fresh: While Amazon is scaling back on checkout-free options in some stores, some locations still utilize the “Just Walk Out” technology
- Sam’s Club: This membership warehouse club has also implemented checkout-free systems in some locations
- Standard Cognition: This company provides checkout-free technology to other retailers, so you might find stores utilizing their systems alongside their own branding
These are just a few examples, and the checkout-free store concept is still growing. With continued development and testing, we can expect to see more retailers offering this type of shopping experience in the future.
