Amazon is taking on another new aspect of the retail industry – the corner grocery store. Ok, it’s not exactly the corner store, but it is a store where consumers walk in, grab what they need, and then leave without going through any checkout lines. Yep, that’s right – no lines, no checkouts, and no registers.
The 1,800 square foot concept store in Seattle uses an Amazon Go app combined with technology the company calls “Just Walk Out.” Whatever item the customer picks up is automatically entered into a virtual shopping cart. If he changes his mind – no problem, the item is deleted from the virtual cart automatically when it is placed back on the shelf. When he leaves the store, the cart is added up and the amount is placed on his Amazon account with the receipt is sent directly to the app.
The store is currently only open to Amazon employees, but the company plans to open the store to the public early this year.
Amazon Go gives new meaning to the phrase “grab and go.” What’s in your basket?
Group Activities and Discussion Questions:
- Discuss product positioning and perceptual maps.
- Show the video of Amazon Go store in Seattle:
https://www.amazon.com/b?node=16008589011
- Review key aspects of developing a product positioning map, including determining the axis labels for positioning.
- Review Amazon Go. What companies and stores are competitors?
- Divide students into teams and have each team develop a positioning map for Amazon Go.
- Have each team draw their map on the board.
- Debrief exercise.
Source: New York Times, Wall Street Journal, other news sources
