Amazon Go not ready to go yet

Amazon Go, the revolutionary new ‘grab and go’ grocery store from the e-commerce giant, has reportedly delayed opening the Seattle shop to the public.

The store, which has been trialled by Amazon staff was due to open to the public early in 2017, but a report in the Wall Street Journal this week said the public launch had been postponed as it “worked out kinks” with the technology.

The advanced tech in the store has been designed to use sensor fusion, algorithms, and cameras to automatically track products being taken off the shelf, allowing the e-commerce-giant to charge customers’ Amazon accounts for the items once they have left the store.

However, according to the WSJ, one glitch is that it the technology is apparently unable to track times when there are large numbers of people in the store, and is also having trouble distinguishing if an item is moved from its designated spot on shelf.

The 1,800 square feet concept store was unveiled in December, promising check-out free shopping with no queuing. It opened in beta testing, selling a selection of groceries ranging from pre-prepared food and snacks to grocery essentials to Amazon staff.  Last month confirmed it was in the process of applying for a licence to sell alcohol. The news broke after a reporter from US tech website Recode.net spotted a flier in the store’s window notifying local residents of its plans.

In December the company trademarked ‘Amazon Go’ in the UK, and a month later the Sunday Times reported that the company was apparently looking for a site in the UK, although Amazon did not respond to the rumours.