New cashierless store in Abu Dhabi
ADNOC Distribution opens first cashierless store
After some years of trials globally, it seems that the automated retail store is finally becoming a reality. Two things are essential here - 1) the technology to offer a seamless, automated customer experience and 2) customers willing to shop frequently at a store that has no customer service staff.
In September, Majid Al Futtaim opened its first AI-powered check-out free store - Carrefour City+ - at Mall of the Emirates in Dubai, working with California-based store automation specialists AiFi Inc. Now, a couple of months later, ADNOC Distribution has launched its first fully autonomous, contactless and cashierless ADNOC Oasis store, using a solution from another US smart store specialist, AWM.
The road to the fully-automated store has not been an easy one. For example, Sainsbury's - the second largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom - launched its first checkoutless store in spring 2019, only to close it a few months later. However, a few years have passed, technology has moved on and the Covid-19 pandemic made contactless shopping a thing.Â
The success of these two concept stores are going to be key in determining the growth of automated stores in the region. Majid Al Futtaim, the Middle East's biggest shopping mall operator, and ADNOC Distribution, the UAE’s largest fuel convenience retailer, couldn't be better placed to carry out the litmus test!
Find out more about these automated store pilots:
See my Linkedin post about Carrefour City+.
And my Linkedin post about the new cashierless ADNOC Oasis store.
Read ADNOC's press release from this week.