A milestone moment in retail: Amazon Just Walk Out uses RFID for the first time

Global retailers have long grappled with barriers preventing truly frictionless, innovative experiences to engage shoppers and boost the bottom line. Consumer demand is understandably the driving force, with 73% favoring self-checkout systems over traditional staffed checkout lines. This preference is particularly pronounced among Gen Z shoppers, with a staggering 85% choosing self-checkouts as their preferred method of completing their purchases. With such high demand for a more ‘grab and go’ experience, change is most definitely happening.

Since 2018, Amazon has super charged the self service concept with its Just Walk Out technology. Consumers identify themselves entering the store by means of an app or simply by hovering their palm over an Amazon One recognition device, grab what they need and exit. There are now more than 70 Amazon-owned stores, and more than 85 third-party retailers across the US, UK, and Australia.

Crucially, up to now all of these stores have relied on a network of cameras and sensors to enable the experience. This has changed with the recent announcement that Amazon has been working with Avery Dennison to expand their Just Walk Out capabilities with RFID sensor technology, creating opportunities to expand the store experience to apparel and softline merchandise.

Just Walk Out with RFID was piloted earlier this year at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena, home to the National Hockey League’s Seattle Kraken. The National Football League soon got in on the action, with fans of the Seattle Seahawks grabbing their favorite team gear at Lumen Field stadium and just walking out. This exciting development soon spanned sports once again to include baseball, with Texas Rangers fans enjoying the same hassle-free shopping experience at their Globe Life Field stadium.

Amazon has a hard won (and justified) reputation for innovation, so it’s interesting to ask ‘why now’ when it comes to RFID adoption. In an interview with RFID Journal, Jon Jenkins, VP for Just Walk Out Technology, AWS Applications, explained that “the advances in technology made it a natural fit for enabling certain types of [identification] that had been challenging for the cameras. Each RFID tag is encoded with a unique identification and, when read, provides a link to that item in the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud software. In this way, the technology can ensure specifically what item is being read, even if there isn’t a clear line of sight.”

It’s great to see that even a tech giant can occasionally be surprised, with Jon noting that “their (Avery Dennison) tag design made it possible to gain the accuracy and speed that we weren't sure was possible until they showed us.”

And this could just be the start, with Jon suggesting other applications for RFID including authentication in cases where high-value items such as team jerseys could have sewn-in labels that prove the garments are not counterfeit. He adds “if you’re a company that has your jerseys manufactured with RFID tags embedded in them, we can read those tags at our exit gates without a separate tag being applied.”

Proof once again that the use cases for RFID are seemingly endless. It will be fascinating to see what Amazon (and others) do next.