Amazon’s innovative Just Walk Out (JWO) technology, renowned for revolutionizing the retail checkout experience, is now making its way into the healthcare industry. The e-commerce giant has recently announced the deployment of its cashierless checkout systems at St. Joseph’s/Candler Hospital in Savannah, Georgia, marking a significant foray into hospitals and other health-care facilities.
The JWO technology enables customers to enter a store by scanning an app and exit without having to wait in a checkout line. Cameras and sensors monitor the items customers choose and automatically charge them upon leaving. Interestingly, some newer iterations of this technology eschew the requirement for ceiling-mounted cameras and instead utilize radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags to monitor items removed from shelves.
In hospitals, this means that healthcare employees can now enjoy an expedited shopping experience at on-site cafes using their work badges. The system offers a seamless integration where employees can link their badges with their payroll deduct account, facilitating automatic deductions for purchases. This 24/7 access to food and essentials is designed to cater to the demanding schedules of hospital staff, particularly for those working night shifts or needing a quick break without the hassle of a traditional checkout line.
Moreover, the convenience extends to hospital visitors, who can also take advantage of JWO-enabled stores using conventional payment methods like credit cards, debit cards, and mobile wallets. This offers a supportive environment for those who might be spending long hours at the hospital, ensuring they can quickly and efficiently get back to their loved ones.
The Just Walk Out technology is not entirely new and has been embraced in over 120 third-party locations, including airports, stadiums, and university campuses. However, its introduction to the healthcare sector underscores Amazon’s strategic expansion and the universal applicability of such technology in different domains. The President and CEO of St. Joseph’s/Candler, Paul P. Hinchey, emphasized the alignment of the Just Walk Out technology with the hospital’s smart medicine strategy, noting its role in providing “high-tech solutions to our patients, visitors and co-workers, even with food service.”
Amazon’s push into hospitals comes as the company also advances its checkout-free shopping program in other sectors. It has worked with campus card providers, enabling students to use their meal plan accounts at Just Walk Out stores and offering insightful analytics on consumer behavior.
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