Tech 7-Eleven Japan to launch unmanned convenience stores

At the stores, users first use a dedicated app to scan a QR code upon entering the store. They read the barcode of the item they wish to purchase with their own smartphone and pay with a credit card or other payment method. There is no need to stop at a cash register. The stores will be operated by a single employee, who will be responsible for tasks such as stocking products and ordering. The store will have an area of approximately 50 square meters, much smaller than a conventional store's 200 square meters. In addition to rice balls and bread, chilled boxed lunches, daily necessities, and freshly brewed coffee will be available. The number of products will be reduced to a maximum of 1,200, less than half the usual number. The convenience store market in Japan is saturated with nearly 56,000 stores. Small unmanned stores will increase the room for new openings and improve customer convenience by eliminating wait times at the cash register.

Click to expand...

Petaris said:

That just seems prone to issue.

I'm surprised they didn't go the Amazon Go route and just have the scan at entrance and automatic checkout based on what you took.

Click to expand...

mdchachi said:

That hasn't worked out for them yet. They're not expanding and last I heard they closed some stores. But I agree it seems like something that would work in Japan.

Click to expand...