Amazon unveils a smart Dash Cart
To help users scan and pay for their purchases and skip the checkout line
image for illustrative purpose
San Francisco: Amazon on Tuesday unveiled an updated smart Dash Cart - a shopping cart that helps users scan and pay for their purchases and skip the checkout line. In September 2020, Amazon's physical retail team introduced the Amazon Dash Cart for the first time.
"We've built the updated version of the Dash Cart to continue to offer the features people love most, like real-time receipts and the ability to weigh produce directly in the cart's basket, alongside new conveniences and behind-the-scenes technology advancements," said Dilip Kumar, Vice President, Physical Retail and Technology.
The Dash Cart is available for use at many Amazon Fresh stores across the US. The Dash Cart screen will now display images of fresh items nearby, like produce, for shoppers to choose from, or shoppers can type in the item name instead of a four-digit PLU code.
The carts feature an extended all-day battery life that requires less charging, making them even more readily available for customers, said Kumar.
The company has doubled the capacity of the cart while maintaining the ability to quickly measure produce weight for certified accuracy and price.
"As many of our customers return to their in-store grocery shopping routines, it's exciting to introduce new and unique ways for them to shop our stores," said Leandro Balbinot, chief technology officer for Whole Foods Market.
To use the new version of the Dash Cart, shoppers log in through a QR code in the Amazon or Whole Foods Market app, which allows them to easily sign in and begin using the cart.
From there, shoppers place their bags (if using them) in the cart and start shopping, scanning their items using one of the cameras near the handlebar of the Dash Cart.
The cart uses a combination of computer vision algorithms and sensor fusion to help verify each item placed in, and removed from, the cart.
The Dash Cart's screen shows a real-time receipt of all items in the cart, and when shoppers are ready to check out, they simply exit the store through the Amazon Dash Cart lane and their payment is processed using the credit card associated with their Amazon account. Shoppers will receive an emailed receipt shortly after leaving the store.
