Checkout-free groceries head to U.K.
Amazon lays groundwork for shopping experienced built around sensors, app
LONDON— Amazon.com Inc. is laying the groundwork to bring its checkout-free grocery store Amazon Go to Europe, as the U.S. giant steps up its efforts to crack the $800-billion (U.S.) global market.
The U.K. Intellectual Property Office on Friday approved the Seattlebased company’s application to trademark the slogans “No Lines. No Checkout. (No, Seriously.)” and “No Queue. No Checkout. (No, Serious- ly.)” A corresponding application is being reviewed by the European Union’s equivalent agency.
The strap line is used in a promotional video for Amazon Go on YouTube that’s been viewed more than nine million times. The company has opened a futuristic test store under that name in Seattle that has no staff or checkouts. Instead, it uses sensors and a smartphone application to top up customers’ “virtual shopping carts” when they remove items from shelves and place them in their bags. When they leave the store, Amazon adds up the cost of items purchased and charges shoppers’ accounts. Amazon declined to comment. The company’s desire to crack the grocery industry is a concern for British supermarket operators Tesco and Sainsbury’s, which are struggling to retain shoppers amid stiff competition from discounters Aldi and Lidl.
Last year, Amazon launched its online grocery delivery service Fresh in the U.K. and also partnered with Morrison’s supermarkets to bolster its product range.
The U.K., with a well-developed e-commerce industry, is a regular first stop outside the U.S. for Amazon when it’s introducing new services.
Amazon is testing three bricksand-mortar grocery formats in Seattle — Amazon Go, drive-in grocery kiosks and a hybrid that mixes online and in-store shopping.