SAN FRANCISCO, CA - While Amazon Go has been relatively alone in its own cashierless grocery arena since launching this past January, San Francisco-based start-up Zippin is entering the market and becoming what Fast Company has described as “the first Amazon Go rival.” This week, Zippin opened its concept store to show off its patent-pending AI, machine learning, and visual cognition technology that is removing the long lines at checkout from the brick-and-mortar grocery experience.

“Consumer frustration with checkout lines is driving a tidal wave of demand among retailers and real estate owners keen to provide a frictionless retail experience,” said CEO Krishna Motukuri. “With annual sales of grocery stores, convenience stores, and quick-service restaurants totaling nearly $1.6 trillion in the U.S. alone, we believe there is a sizable market opportunity for us to pursue.”

According to a press release, Zippin’s checkout-free software platform uses a combination of overhead cameras and smart shelf sensors to track when and which products are picked up or put back to place the correct items in shoppers’ virtual carts. Shoppers need only to download the Zippin app and connect their preferred payment method to gain access to the store and to receive a receipt with their charges.

Zippin also noted in its release that its new platform provides retailers with an innovative way to meet demand while also increasing profits. As a result, retailers tapping into Zippin’s tech can increase inventory and merchandising efficiencies thanks to real-time data captured by the software.

“Despite the popularity of shopping online, brick-and-mortar retail still accounts for more than 90 percent of all purchases made in the U.S. With Zippin, traditional retailers can now compete against e-commerce companies, which until now have had the advantage of leveraging a host of key data about their customers,” Motukuri continued.

While the store is currently only available to those with an invitation, the store will be open to the public beginning mid-September.

Will Zippin’s software find its way into the stores of some of Amazon’s major competitors? AndNowUKnow will continue to report as grocery retail continues to evolve.

Zippin