Carrefour opens its first contactless store in Paris

Carrefour Flash contactless store front Paris
CONTACTLESS: Shoppers do not need to register at the entrance, download an app or scan their purchases

France-based supermarket chain Carrefour has opened its first contactless convenience store in Paris that allows customers to walk in, select the items they wish to purchase and pay for them without needing to register or check in at the entrance, download an app or scan their purchases with their mobile device or at a checkout.

The new Carrefour Flash 10/10 store in the French capital’s eleventh arrondissement incorporates 60 high-definition cameras and nearly 2,000 on-shelf sensors to identify the products customers select, “an algorithm for interpreting all the data and a proprietary tablet payment system”.

“Customers are tracked anonymously as a virtual avatar, allocated to them as soon as they enter the store,” Carrefour explains.

“The products that they pick up are automatically detected and then added to their virtual basket.

“Once they have finished shopping, customers just get their baskets validated at a kiosk and then pay contactlessly.

“They can get an electronic receipt sent to them immediately simply by scanning a QR code.

“An automatic checkout kiosk is also available for any customers wishing to pay with cash.”

Carrefour opened a contactless store in Dubai in September and also has six checkout-free outlets in Brazil.

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