New effortless shopping experience tested on the Strip
By Jason R. Latham
Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology is getting its first test on the Las Vegas Strip via an unlikely partner, famed fashion retailer Fred Segal.
The Los Angeles-based brand is opening a grab-and-go market — sans cashiers and checkout lines – next to its Fred Segal Men’s shop at Resorts World Las Vegas. The concept marks the debut of Amazon’s “effortless experience” in Las Vegas, and a major test of the technology, which launched in 2016 and has been employed primarily at Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh convenience stores.
At Fred Segal Market, guests will enter the store using a credit card and can grab snacks, drinks, candy, and other items off the shelves. With no cashiers or cash registers on hand, guests can simply walk out with what they want, and their credit cards will be charged for it.
Introducing a Just Walk Out-enabled store seems like a no-brainer for Resorts World, which has touted itself as most technologically advanced . Since opening its doors in June 2021, the $4.3 billion complex has made headlines for cashless slot and table gaming, “Smart Table” technology that eliminates the need for ticket redemption centers, mobile-driven guest experience, and even a partnership with Grubhub to provide in-room food delivery.
Las Vegas makes sense as a test market for Amazon’s technology. If successful, visitors from around the world will spread the good news upon returning home, and if the Strip’s history of imitation among competitors holds true, more resort partnerships could be in Amazon’s future.
The cashless experience is already a hit with ecommerce analysts that estimate it brings in about 50 percent more revenue than traditional convenience stores. As Amazon expands their Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh brands, Bloomberg predicts the stores could generate about $4.5 billion in sales annually.
