U.S. retail chain Sam’s Club is replacing physical receipt verification with a new AI-powered system that scans shoppers’ baskets and automatically verifies payments as they leave the club.
The tech, which combines AI and computer vision technology was announced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Vegas, last week. It is being introduced to eliminate queuing as a result of people waiting for receipt verification at the club’s exit area, the firm said.
Sam’s Club is the first retailer to deploy this technology at exit and at scale. It builds on its existing technologies such as Scan & Go which allows members to use the Sam’s Club mobile app to capture purchases on-the-go and bypass the traditional checkout line in the club, as well as at the fuel station and Café.
How it works
Currently running pilots across 10 Sam’s Club locations, the technology is used to seamlessly confirm members have paid for all items in their shopping carts – without requiring an associate to check members’ purchases before leaving the club.
Before this technology, members had to queue at the club’s exit area to have Sam’s Club exit greeters review receipts. Now, after a member completes payment at a register or via Scan & Go, a combination of computer vision and digital technology deployed in the exit area of the club captures images of carts and verifies payment for all items within a member’s basket.
It is expected that the new feature will help reduce wait times at the exit, addressing a common pain point for shoppers, especially during busy periods. Additionally, it will free exit greeters to divert attention elsewhere. The company said it will continue enhancing the technology through early 2024, with plans to rapidly expand it to its nearly 600 clubs by the end of the year.
Chris Nicholas, CEO of Sam’s Club said: “This is Sam’s Club at its very best, listening to feedback from members, putting their needs at the center of everything we do – and then applying digital innovations to deliver an industry-leading member experience.”
He added: “We are constantly looking at ways for Sam’s Club to be the most convenient membership club and will continue to prioritise using technology to provide a truly differentiated and delightful experience for our members.”
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Image source: Sam’s Club
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