About Amazon Canada
About 10 years ago, as our team set out to reinvent the shopping experience, we zeroed in on an aspect that shoppers universally do not enjoy: standing in line to pay. While others were focused on self-checkout to shorten lines, we asked ourselves why not get rid of the checkout process entirely?
Leveraging artificial intelligence (AI), including computer vision, machine learning, and generative AI, as well as sensor fusion, we launched Just Walk Out technology in 2018. Just Walk Out technology enables shoppers to grab what they want and simply leave the store—no more checkout! Since its introduction, customers have come to love the convenience of checkout-free shopping, and businesses across three countries have embraced Just Walk Out technology. And today, I’m thrilled to announce that the magic and convenience of Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology has arrived in Canada.
Just Walk Out technology will first become available at two Canadian arenas—Scotiabank Saddledome, home of the NHL’s Calgary Flames on September 29 and Scotiabank Arena, home of the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs and the NBA’s Toronto Raptors on October 10—with more Canadian locations rolling out the technology in the coming months. Canada now joins the U.S., UK, and Australia as nations offering checkout-free shopping experiences for consumers.
Just Walk Out technology makes shopping quick and easy for customers
Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology will be available at Market 213 in Scotiabank Saddledome and at Grains and Greens (100 Level) and Molson Market (300 Level) locations in Scotiabank Arena. At these marketplaces, fans can avoid long, tedious checkout lines by simply grabbing their favourite snacks, salads, beverages, and even alcohol, and can get back to their seats quickly without missing any of the sporting action or concert entertainment.
To enter the store, fans use their credit or debit card at the entry gate. Just Walk Out technology associates the shopper with their payment instrument, and detects the items taken from or returned to store shelves, creating a virtual shopping session. When guests have completed their visit, they simply leave the store, and the payment instrument will be charged for the items they took with them. Shortly after exiting the store, customers will be able to access their receipt at: https://justwalkout.com/receipts.
“We are excited that Scotiabank Saddledome is the first location in Canada to introduce Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology,” said Ziad Mehio, CSEC Vice President of Technology, Food & Beverage. “Fan experience is central to everything we do, and we are always looking for new ways to innovate and modernize the experience. Just Walk Out technology will make game-day shopping for food and beverages convenient for Calgary Flames fans so they can get back to their seats quickly and continue to root for their team.”
“Enhancing the fan experience through technology has long been a priority for MLSE at our venues, including Scotiabank Arena, and the addition of Just Walk Out this season will further boost the arena’s reputation as Canada’s premier sports and entertainment venue,” said Humza Teherany, Chief Technology & Digital Officer, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment. “With Amazon, we are thrilled to be one of the first venues to offer this technology in Canada and revolutionize fans’ in-arena purchasing experience so they can spend more time in their seats enjoying the teams and the artists that they love.”
Just Walk Out technology helps retailers increase throughput and sales
While Just Walk Out technology delivers a convenient shopping experience for customers, it also helps store owners and retail operators increase revenue and optimize costs. For example, last September, Lumen Field, home of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks installed its first Just Walk Out technology store, the District Market. During the 2022 season, the store saw a 60% increase in customer throughput, and the total transactions per game doubled compared to the traditional concession stand that previously stood in the same location. By the end of the season in early 2023, the team saw transactions per game in that location increase 85% and total sales per game increase 112%.
Momentum is growing for Just Walk Out technology stores around the world
Currently, there are more than 70 Amazon-owned stores, and more than 85 third-party retailers with Just Walk Out technology located across the U.S., UK, Australia, and Canada with new locations launching every month. These third-party stores include:
- Travel retailers, like Hudson, OHM, and Paradies, at U.S. airports, including Chicago (Midway and O’Hare), Charleston, Charlotte, Dallas, New York (LaGuardia), Kansas City, Los Angeles (LAX), Newark, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. (Dulles), and more.
- Sports stadiums, entertainment venues, and conference centres including Climate Pledge Arena, Lumen Field, T-Mobile Park (Seattle), Xcel Energy Center (St. Paul, Minnesota), TQL Stadium (Cincinnati), TD Garden (Boston), Marvel Stadium (Melbourne, Australia), UBS Arena (New York), Bridgestone Arena (Nashville, Tennessee), Javits Center (New York), Kia Forum (Inglewood, California), United Center (Chicago), Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, North Carolina), Crypto.com Arena (Los Angeles), and NASCAR Raceway (Phoenix), EverBank Stadium (Jacksonville, Florida), Dignity Health Sports Park (Los Angeles), T-Mobile Arena (Las Vegas, NV), Hard Rock Stadium (Miami, Florida), Scotiabank Saddledome (Calgary, Canada), Scotiabank Arena (Toronto, Canada), and others.
- Theme parks, like Six Flags Great Adventure (Jackson, New Jersey).
- Convenience stores, like BaxterStorey (London), Pronto Pantry (Chicago), and QuikTrip (Tulsa, Oklahoma).
- College campuses, like the University of Dayton, Ohio; Marymount University, Virginia; Texas A&M; Marywood University, Lafayette College, and University of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania; Loyola University, Maryland; California State University: Long Beach; University of North Carolina, Charlotte; Montclair State University; University of California: San Diego, and more.
