DISCUSSION
Where will Amazon go with its cashier-free concept?
Written by George Anderson
It’s the Amazon.com way to keep pushing out news items to keep the company front and center in the mind of the press and consumers. The strategy is typically quite overt with the e-tail giant pushing press releases or having executives write blog posts. Other times, news about Amazon’s considered plans go public from unidentified sources. Among the most frequently covered stories of late has been the Amazon Go store concept. The retailer has publicized opening versions of the format in a smaller footprint, eyeing airports as a destination and making plans to expand the concept overseas.
On the smaller footprint front, Reuters reports that Amazon opened a scaled-down version of Go inside one of the company’s offices in Seattle. The new store, located in the old Macy’s building, measures 450-square-feet and focuses its product selection on salads and snacks for office workers.
Gianna Puerini, vice president of Amazon Go, told the wire service that a smaller footprint would enable Amazon to place stores in a wide variety of locations, including office lobbies and hospitals. The e-tailer currently operates eight Go stores in Chicago, San Francisco and Seattle.
Earlier this week, Reuters reported that Amazon was also looking at airports as a landing spot for its Go concept. The theory is that cashier-free stores with a lot of grab and go items will be a good shopping fit for business travelers making their ways to a plane or killing time in between flights. Dallas Fort Worth International Airport is one facility that has attempted to recruit Amazon, according to the report.
Amazon is also, according to The Telegraph, planning to take Go on the road to a location near Oxford Circus in London’s West End, one of the busiest shopping districts in Europe. The U.K. market is strong for Amazon overall. The e-tailer reported record Black Friday sales in the U.K. to kick off the holiday selling season.
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