Planet, a global technology leader providing integrated software and payment services, has announced its role in the development of two frictionless, checkout-free stores at Oslo Airport and Dublin Airport, alongside partners SSP Group and Zippin.
These stores allow customers to shop and pay for items seamlessly, improving the shopping experience by providing speed and convenience, both of which are in high demand when traveling, and time is often at a premium.
The innovative new technology has the potential to expand into busy UK airports and other travel hubs, including train stations, where customers are looking for speed and convenience.
To enter the store, a customer simply taps their preferred credit card on the payment terminal installed at the entry gate. Planet’s technology pre-authorises a configurable amount and generates a secure token passed across to Zippin, which stores it.
In the store, Zippin’s checkout-free platform uses multiple AI-powered sensors, including overhead cameras and shelf sensors, to determine what items a customer picks up and adds them to a virtual basket for that customer.
Upon exiting, the virtual basket is finalized with what the shopper leaves with, and Zippin calculates the final amount due for the items. Zippin sends the payment request to Planet to authorize and process the final amount, completing the transaction by debiting the customer’s card.
Shoppers can scan a code with their smartphone when they exit to receive a digital receipt.
Planet’s payment integration technology helps make frictionless, checkout-free shopping a reality. This includes the integration of the advanced PAX IM30 unattended payments terminal for single tap and PIN on Glass, and the ability for Zippin to use Merchant Initiated Transactions (MIT) and Card on File to process the final amount.
“Many travellers are often pushed for time at busy airport locations,” said Colin Close, Head of Global Business Development at Planet. “They want to shop, but they don’t want to waste precious minutes queuing to make a payment. That’s why we’ve partnered with Zippin to make payments almost invisible. Thanks to the integration of our technology with Zippin’s checkout-free platform, SSP can deliver their customers a fast, seamless, and more enjoyable in-store shopping experience.”
Andy Winter, Technology Director – Architecture and Customer Solutions at SSP, said: “At SSP, we pride ourselves on our ability to use the most sophisticated technology to create the best possible experience. We’re certain customers will find that this new way of shopping makes a real difference to their journey.”
Krishna Motukuri, CEO and Co-founder of Zippin, said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with Planet to eliminate the friction of the traditional checkout. Our AI-powered technology lets shoppers enter the store, pick what they want and leave without stopping. Travellers, who might already have their hands full, can simply put purchases in their luggage as they shop, which is a great convenience. They’re automatically charged for what they take when they leave, which makes for an easier and faster shopping experience. Thanks to our integration with Planet, shoppers can quite literally zip-in, shop and zip-out.”
This technology is set to bring many advantages besides making shopping easier and faster for customers. For instance, the merchandising space that retailers previously gave up for check-out terminals can instead be used to promote additional products, leading to a wider range of choice for the shopper. This is particularly important in train stations and airports, where space is limited.
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