Box Mart, the first cashier-free convenience store in the station of Suzhou Rail Transit (SRT), is open to the public at Shizishan Station狮子山[地铁站] of Line 1 and 3. By using AI technology to identify shoppers, purchase behavior and goods, there’s no need to wait in line to pay at the checkout.
Shoppers only need to scan a QR code with WeChat or Alipay app, or use facial recognition to enter the store. When they fill their shopping bags, they can leave directly without scanning the bar code or payment code. Purchases will be charged automatically within seconds and the bill will be sent to the cellphone simultaneously.
Although the store has only an area of 20 square meters, it has 384 SKUs (stock keeping units), which covers categories of breakfast, beverages, snacks, bread, daily necessities, and frozen-food products, meeting basic living needs of citizens.
Another cashier-free convenience store is reportedly to open at Xinghujie Station星湖街[地铁站] in the second half of the year so that more people will benefit from the checkout-free service.