Amazon adds RFID capability to 'Just Walk Out' to enable cashierless shopping for clothing

September 20, 2023: On Tuesday, Amazon added RFID capability to ‘Just Walk Out’ to enable cashierless shopping for clothing. In this system, each item in a store is equipped with an RFID tag.

Customers can select items and exit the store, and the RFID tags are detected by readers, automatically charging the customer’s credit card on file.

This technology, developed in collaboration with Avery Dennison, a materials science and digital identification company, offers a new approach to frictionless shopping.

Since its launch in 2018, Amazon has deployed Walk Out across many store formats, including its Fresh supermarkets and some Whole Foods locations.

It also sells the technology to third-party retailers in airports, stadiums, and theme parks, among other venues.

While Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology was initially used primarily in grocery and convenience stores, this expansion into clothing stores represents a significant step forward. Amazon has been testing this new system with RFID technology in locations such as Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle and the Seattle Seahawks’ Lumen Field, signaling its potential for broader adoption in various retail settings.

There are over 70 Amazon-owned stores and more than 85 third-party retailers with Walk Out technology located across the U.S., U.K., and Australia, including travel retailers at airports, sports stadiums, entertainment venues, theme parks, convenience stores, and college campuses.