INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The Amazon boogie-man has every retailer scrambling for ways to fight back
But the cost and effort to install cameras all over the ceiling or into every shelf could block stores from entering the autonomous shopping
automatically scan items you drop in thanks to three image recognition cameras and a weight sensor
Caper is now in two retailers in the NYC area, though it plans to use the cash to expand to more and develop a smart shopping basket for
payment and leave the store
The jewelry company he launched at 19 still operates
actually a pivot from his previous entry into the space called QueueHop that made cashierless apparel security tags that unlocked when you
So Gao hoofed it around NYC to talk to 150 merchants and discover what they really wanted
with a credit card swipe or Apple/Android Pay tap and their receipt is emailed to them
in what Gao likens to how Tesla is inching toward self-driving.Soon, Caper wants to go entirely scanless, and sections of its two pilot
stores already use the technology
The cameras on the cart employ image recognition matched with a weight sensor to identify what you toss in your cart
You shop just like normal but then pay and leave with no line
subscription but get free hardware upgrades
technology is likely to eliminate a lot of jobs
Second, the ease and affordable cost of transitioning means businesses will be able to recoup their investment and grow revenues as shoppers
And third, Caper wants to share data that its carts collect (on routes through the store, shelves customers hover in front of and more) with
appeal beyond grocers (think smaller shops), though making it light enough to carry will be a challenge.Gao says that with merchants already
The startup has to move fast if it wants to be what introduces Main Street to autonomous retail
But no matter what gadgets it builds in, Caper must keep sight of the real-world stress their tech will undergo
The carts need to be durable
They need to resist heat, vibration, rain, people slamming them around
