Amazon announced that it will start selling its smart grocery carts to third-party retailers as part of its effort to expand the Dash Cart technology.
Stores such as Price Chopper and McKeever's Market in Kansas and Missouri are the first to test the smart grocery carts.
Amazon Opens Dash Carts to Other Retailers Across Country
Amazon first introduced the Dash Cart in 2020 at its Fresh supermarket chain. Gradually, it was added to select Whole Foods stores.
The smart grocery carts are Amazon's solution for customers who wish to monitor and compute their purchases as they shop. Dash Carts have computer vision and sensors that help identify the items and their prices once they are placed in real time.
Previously, Amazon made a similar move to its Just Walk Out service. The cashier-less technology was initially exclusive to Amazon Go convenience stores but was later sold to third-party retailers in airports, hospitals, and other venues.
"In larger grocery stores, where customers are making a big weekly trip and buy a greater number of items, customers so far prefer Amazon Dash Cart, our smart shopping cart, which uses the same advanced, computer vision technology as Just Walk Out," the company wrote.
Amazon Details Plans for Just Walk Out Technology
Earlier this month, Amazon revealed that it will start replacing its Just Walk Out technology with Dash Cart. The move is part of the company's revamping of Fresh stores.
Unlike Dash Cart, Amazon explained that the Just Walk Out technology is more utilized in smaller stores. The company shared that 18 million items have been sold in Just Walk Out stores.
"We have strong conviction that Just Walk Out technology will be the future in stores that have a curated selection where customers can pop in, grab the small number of items they need, and simply walk out," the company stated.
Currently, over 140 third-party locations offer the technology across the U.S., UK, Australia, and Canada.
