Autonomous retail continues to expand as more merchants adopt AI-powered checkout systems that eliminate traditional payment lines. What began as a response to demand for contactless shopping during the pandemic is now evolving into a long-term strategy for improving convenience, reducing friction, and modernizing the in-store experience.
AiFi’s partnership with Choice Market highlights how autonomous checkout is moving beyond pilot projects into larger-format grocery and convenience stores. As retailers refine these technologies, AI-powered shopping experiences are expected to become more common across grocery, convenience, and unattended retail environments.
Self-service checkout continues to gain new merchants. Tech developer AiFi adds another retailer to its autonomous shopping base by partnering with Choice Market in Denver. AiFi now has retail installations across four continents. Contactless checkout found favor with in-store shoppers during the pandemic’s surge in 2020.
Now autonomous checkout will see noticeable expansion in 2021 with several developers having operational systems. C-stores, grocery stores, and unattended retail such as airport shops are target verticals for this checkout technology.
The following excerpt from a Chain Store Age article reports more on the topic:
A retailer that combines the selection of a natural grocer and the footprint of a c-store with the newest technology is looking to reinvent convenience with the opening of its new location in Denver.
Choice Market has opened its largest and most high-tech location to date: a 5,000-sq.-ft. store on the ground level of an upscale high-rise apartment building in Denver’s Golden Triangle neighborhood. Choice Market, which operates four stores (all in Denver), plans to expand in Colorado and beyond in 2021.
The newest Choice Market offers a totally contact-free shopping experience (for those that want it). Using the brand’s Choice Now mobile check-in and cashierless checkout technology (powered by AiFi), shoppers scan the app upon entry, pick up their groceries, freshly prepared meals and other items and then leave without a traditional checkout. A receipt is sent directly to the customer’s mobile device moments after they exit the market. The frictionless-less technology utilizes hundreds of ceiling cameras.
“This is the largest camera-only store that we’ve launched in the U.S. to date and we’re excited to partner with Choice to bring seamless shopping to its customers,” said Steve Gu, co-founder and CEO of AiFi.
The expansion of autonomous checkout demonstrates that retailers increasingly view frictionless shopping as a competitive advantage rather than a temporary response to changing consumer behavior. Improvements in computer vision and AI continue to make these systems more accurate, scalable, and appealing to both merchants and shoppers.
As deployments grow across new retail formats, autonomous retail is likely to play a larger role in creating faster, more convenient shopping experiences while providing retailers with valuable operational and customer insights.
Overview by Raymond Pucci, Director, Merchant Services at Mercator Advisory Group
