Cashier-free ‘Watasale’ store opens; just walk in, pick product & go

A customer can now walk in, pick the products and leave. They don't need to worry about paying and scanning.  For this just download the ‘Watasale’ app on your phone and register using an email ID and phone number; says Subhash S, Watasale CEO. The new technology involved in the artificial intelligence is proving a boom in retail sector.

Watasale, the latest retail outlet in Kochi, is a fully automated, cashier -free shop inspired by Amazon Go stores in the United States. You can just pick up an item and walk out with it and the cost is debited from your e-wallet.

The 500 sq ft store that opened this week depends on artificial intelligence, camera technology and sensors.

The store ceiling and shelves are laced with sophisticated sensors and closed circuit cameras. The system monitors your every movement. It records what product you have taken and what you put back on the rack. The store is more advanced than the other cashier less stores where the customers scan the products themselves.

The company CEO says that presently 180 products are on display and will be increased soon and the outlet will also be extended to Bengaluru and Delhi. 

“Today’s market demands convenience," Jake Weatherly, CEO of verification technology company SheerID, told Retail Dive in an email. "As we will soon enter into the New Year, we will see the continuation of multi-channel retailing; however, businesses will spend significantly more on both their customer experience teams as well as technology that will allow them to understand their customers in a deeper level."