New retail technology and its potential for ‘on the ground’ data collection

It was reported recently that Amazon will open 10 till-free UK stores, with shoppers scanning items as they go and paying via their Amazon accounts. Similarly, Sainsbury’s has announced a trial virtual queuing system using a third-party app, and an expanded mobile payment scheme offering increased availability of till-free shopping. This brings “omnichannel” data to the shop floor – truly digitising the customer experience and creating even richer consumer behaviour datasets.