Comments on “Amazon Go
Ryan Hoover@rrhoover · Founder, Product Hunt
Amazon closing out 2016 with a ton of announcements. Super interesting to see them expand to brick and mortar, a huge growth opportunity, and do it in a unique, tech-centric way.
Ari@ariaitch · Director of Marketing & eCommerce
@rrhoover try shoplifting and a drone will take you to jail :)
Bear Silber@bear_silber · Director of Growth, Selfycart
@rrhoover I love this product. It's exactly what we're working on at Selfycart but implementing it into existing stores. This will be the future of retail.
Matthew TW Huang@matthewtwhuang · Tech Lover, Engineer
@bear_silber @rrhoover While the self-check-out is awesome and probably the future of retail check-out. I think the main benefits of Amazon Go is much more. With the ability to just take and buy an item, without scanning ever, the friction of buying is greatly reduced (similar to one-click purchases). This will definitely increase what people buy, particul… See more
Michael Tomko@michaeltomko · Production Director, The Able Few
@matthewtwhuang @bear_silber @rrhoover Super glad to hear that I'm not the only person who made any Oceans 13 references when talking about Amazon Go.
Emmanuel Lemor@exlemor · Cust. Exp., Prod. Mgmt etc are my world.
@bear_silber - I just wanted to check out Selfycart's website - Can you please fix it so that it's not 100mg to have it come up before the site shows anything on it [36secs] ? even with a fast connection that's insane :/ [a full load is 164mg :/]
Emmanuel Lemor@exlemor · Cust. Exp., Prod. Mgmt etc are my world.
@rrhoover But is that really progress that we need or want... personally, I will not want a store without people/employees in it. Part of why I go into stores is the human interaction [yes, even if sometimes it's not 'ideal' interaction]
Nikhil Jois@nikhiljoisr · Co-founder, Eventosaur
This is going to be more impactful than self-driving cars. I wonder when India will be ready for Amazon Go though.
Chris Messina@chrismessina · 🏆 PH Community Member of the Year!
@nikhiljoisr I disagree with that, bitty I'm curious your reasoning?
Nikhil Jois@nikhiljoisr · Co-founder, Eventosaur
@chrismessina The number of people who buy groceries is much larger than the number of people who commute using cars. Also, the sheer scalability of using similar technology like this in other stores will impact several lives. Although, I was hasty in not mentioning a time frame I think. Self-driving cars may turn out to be more impactful given enough time b… See more
Andy O'Dower@odower · Head of Product @curiositydotcom
@chrismessina @nikhiljoisr VERY interested in the reasoning here as well. 100% disagree.
Nikhil Jois@nikhiljoisr · Co-founder, Eventosaur
@odower The number of people who buy groceries is much larger than the number of people who commute using cars. Also, the sheer scalability of using similar technology like this in other stores will impact several lives. Although, I was hasty in not mentioning a time frame I think. Self-driving cars may turn out to be more impactful given enough time but in … See more
Nick Hallam@nhallam · Product strategy and design
@nikhiljoisr I not actually sure that there are more people who shop for groceries than commute by car? But either way the impact is the important part. I think it's difficult to argue that a service that saves me a few mins per day at the grocery store will have a bigger impact on people than a service that will reduce the number of care on the road, reduce… See more
Andy O'Dower@odower · Head of Product @curiositydotcom
@nhallam @nikhiljoisr yep with self-checkout this new service will save stores that already have it (and most large chains do) 50-75% of resources. But in the US alone (take India, China and 100x that number) millions of hours of productivity are lost to sitting in traffic (every day!) + deaths + services and businesses that support drivers.
Pietz Prove@gopietz · Media Computer Science Student
@nikhiljoisr @odower i completely agree that more people go grocery shopping than drive cars. still, id argue that the step from regular cars to self driving cars brings a much higher magnitude of benefits than regular shopping vs no-checkout-shopping.
Derek@derekscruggs
@nikhiljoisr @chrismessina It's not just about groceries and not just about Amazon. In 10 years every retailer and mall will have licensed this technology, just like many of them use Amazon for online fulfillment. A few high end brands like Nordstrom will continue to offer personalized service, but I've believed for a while that Amazon is setting itself to b… See more
Nikhil Jois@nikhiljoisr · Co-founder, Eventosaur
@gopietz @odower I live in a country where 180 Million people make live in households that make less than 2 dollars a day. Self-driving cars are going to be amazing for fortunate folks like you guys and me who can think about things like commuting. Groceries are something everyone buys. The economy here is improving and more people are getting out of povert… See more
Nikhil Jois@nikhiljoisr · Co-founder, Eventosaur
@derekscruggs @chrismessina I live in a country where 180 Million people make live in households that make less than 2 dollars a day. Self-driving cars are going to be amazing for fortunate folks like you guys and me who can think about things like commuting. Groceries are something everyone buys. The economy here is improving and more people are getting out… See more
Mat Sherman@mat_sherman · Hacker. Starter. #yesphx
Wow. This opens up the door down the line for everyone to have a similar model, but with use of Augmented Reality. All you have to do is go in with a Augmented Reality headset, look at want you want, do a little dance, and you've bought it. This is big. Forward looking but still, this is next level.
BrianBest@brianbest · Software Developer
The future is cool.
Joshua Talley@joshuatalley · Product Support Team Lead, Grundfos
0_0
Abhinaw Kumar@muzzytree · Product, Growth & Mktg Doctors' Circle
Wow! This is from future.
Anthony Da Mota@akdm_ · I upvote things that matters.
Wow, this is going to be awesome.
Janil Jean@janiljean · Head of Overseas Operations
Wow, my respect and admiration for this brand increase day by day. Making life easier for consumers like never before or by any other company.
Josh Odigie@josh_odigie · CEO and Co-Founder @ Launchorb
An amazing blend between the recogniseable Amazon e-commerce platform and real-life shopping. This is sure to be very popular.
Nick Abouzeid🕴@nickabouzeid · Social & Growth Intern @ProductHunt
Can someone speak to the technical aspects of how this store works? I don't quite understand how "machine learning" would be used to figure out exactly which bottle of soda I grab. Are there cameras all over the store and/or are they tracking my phone through the store?
Michael@bikebodenberger · Project Lead, A&G Labs
@nickabouzeid From looking at the video and website, it seems like they're using a combination of cameras and sensors to understand who you are and which product you're selecting, respectively. They don't mention bluetooth or other wireless tracking tech for the user, so my understanding is that cameras "watch" you as you navigate around the store. Simultane… See more
Noah Kim@wuss · Startup in Progress ▓▓▓▓░░░░░░░░ 30%
@bikebodenberger @nickabouzeid That's my assumption as well, but since it uses cameras, how would it handle a really busy store with a bunch of people all exactly 5' 10" tall? I'm assuming it could potentially fall back to it's other inputs, but the complexity of doing what it's doing would seem like it needs every piece of the triangulation to make an accur… See more
Michael@bikebodenberger · Project Lead, A&G Labs
@wuss @nickabouzeid Maybe I'm way off, but I'm thinkin' the cameras use facial recognition as an identifier. If they aren't using something like bluetooth, then there needs to be a unique identifier to tie you to your app. The baseline photos could be uploaded during app onboarding or maybe there's even a facial scan feature. And the more you use the store, … See more
Ethan Kravitz@ethosventures · CTO, Overnight
@bikebodenberger @wuss @nickabouzeid They are absolutely using bluetooth, as well as wifi, and other RFID-based technologies. They just called it "Sensor Fusion" to keep it simple or maybe it sounds better with their focus groups. They are going to use as much data as possible to match your location in the store with the sensor of the the item that was remov… See more
Kyle Dumovic@kdumovic · UX Designer at Stella.ai
@nickabouzeid I feel like they're embellishing the 'computer vision' aspect of this. I wouldn't be surprised if all they're doing is scanning RFID tags on all your items with the turnstile looking things at the store's entrance when you walk out. That said, such a system wouldn't allow you to peruse your cart or view your subtotal while still shopping -- so… See more
SyCo4Sports@saccoallen · me
@bikebodenberger @nickabouzeid Somehow each product has to be identifiable. If someone picks something up and puts it down elsewhere it would still need to be recognized. My guess is of course RFID which is already usable and the cost is lowering. The Shelves could not be use to track product for the same reason.
Michael Flores@mike_flores23 · Crafting Ms, Vs, and Cs
Those in traditional retail think disruption of their business by Amazon must be a world with no stores, and so they laugh. But it might look like this instead.
Derek Nuzum@dnuzum · Product Manager | Web Developer
@mike_flores23 I used to be in retail management in Amazon's backyard. Believe me, they're all scared of Amazon and have been for years. Kroger is fast tracking their order online and pickup at store service ASAP to beat the Amazon same service just a few blocks away. It's going to be very interesting.
Hamish Macpherson@hamstu · Front-end Engineer @ Buffer
@dnuzum Yeah... wonder how well this could work for a family shopping? Or even just a couple. Still very cool though!
Derek Nuzum@dnuzum · Product Manager | Web Developer
@hamstu I know this concept will be huge for the area it is in. Their upcoming order and pickup concept is in a high commute area that will grab tons of business, but I'm more interested in the quality and availability. I regularly see Amazon Fresh trucks shopping at competitor grocery stores. Those competitors know what their customers want for freshness an… See more
Michael Flores@mike_flores23 · Crafting Ms, Vs, and Cs
@dnuzum I work at Macy's Systems & Technology. We're generally in a state of denial about Amazon :D. I see this grocery store as, in part, a beta for other Amazon stores (*cough* apparel). Interesting times in this space.
Derek Nuzum@dnuzum · Product Manager | Web Developer
@mike_flores23 It's not just you guys. Many companies were for a long time! To be honest, general goods like apparel, home, etc. will take some time. If you look at the sort of selection on Prime Now and Fresh, you're going to see the sort of goods that will be in Amazon's wheelhouse. The 12-24 hour demand for "need this right now" just isn't there for a swe… See more
Moritz Kobrna@neuling2k · Developer & Co-Founder @die_antwort
Haha no way … two days ago on the way home from shopping, I said to my girlfriend that our children will just walk out of the store and pay as they leave. I also gave a detailed explanation of how the technique could look like – its exactly what you see in the video 😱
Adam Churcher@cameradam_ · Co-founder, Made by Magnitude and Fetch
Woah. Impressive. I'm really interested into just how the store actually works and how the detection is put in place. What if you take a sandwich and somebody else puts the same one back straight after? Is it tracked by face/person? Either way, pretty incredible.
Chris Messina@chrismessina · 🏆 PH Community Member of the Year!
Apple has been doing a variation of this (self checkout on your own phone) for a couple years now, but this takes it to a whole different level!
Gavin Donovan@gavindonovan · Digital at Mission Foods
@chrismessina what I can’t tell is…. Do you use the Amazon Go app to scan each item and then leave (aka you are the check out) or do you just grab and item and leave and it does everything for you automatically?
Derek@derekscruggs
@gavindonovan @chrismessina I bet the early versions are a hybrid. There's still a checkout scanner of some sort, but it pairs with your phone.
Yann Bertrand@_yannbertrand · Pokémon Master
So do they link your face + movements with your Amazon account? Pretty scaring, isn't it?
Zach Swetz@swetzequity · IdeasforStrangers.com
@_yannbertrand yeah, I don't think people realize how hesitant folks outside of SF might be to something like this ... especially when the alternative is the "normal" grocery store with self checkout, etc... there's a reason stores have to give customers receipts, because they don't inherently trust them to charge them accurately
Derek@derekscruggs
@swetzequity @_yannbertrand Remember that prices will be lower too, and there will probably be membership bonuses for Prime members. Receipts will be emailed and/or stored in the app. People who care about privacy won't use it, but that's a small percentage. Everyone else is happy to have a Facebook account.
About time. Surprised they don't have robots stocking the shelves and making the food.
Julian Lehr@lehrjulian · App Promotion, Google
Love it! Posit: Queues at the entrance because people can't handle QR codes (see plane boarding cards). Isn't there an easier way to solve this? (Beacons, WiFi, ..)
Mitch@sleumasm · Creator of ineedaresu.me
@lehrjulian I feel like something similar to Android/Apple pay would work well. NFC is faster and you don't have to perfectly line up a barcode with a scanner. Edit: Although a barcode would be compatible with all phones, but also less secure.
Derek Nuzum@dnuzum · Product Manager | Web Developer
@lehrjulian It's the best solution available right now for low entry barrier. I'm sure they'd rather use NFC, but with Apple having it locked down, they'd be missing a gigantic marketshare to not implement something that can be used by everyone.
Macrina Damian@macrina_ · Product designer
nice! just can't help thinking about all the people that will remain jobless in the process... this is a big issue. @amcafee
timo dechau@timdechau · Product Designer
@macrina_ True. We should start thinking about how society will shape by these innovations.
David Rogerson@doivoid · Product Owner of E-lucid
@timdechau @macrina_ Have a look at this list and think about how many will be around in 10-20 years: http://www.ranker.com/list/most-...
Macrina Damian@macrina_ · Product designer
@doivoid @timdechau exactly... wow, I didn't know about this ranking. thanks!
Chris Messina@chrismessina · 🏆 PH Community Member of the Year!
@macrina_ funny though, since that video is a lot more optimistic about the shift away from human labor.
Marty Mankins@martymankins · Post Prod, Penguin Bytes Productions
@macrina_ @amcafee With the general knowledge that manufacturing jobs were lost due to technology advances, I'm curious to see where this is going to go in the next 3-5 years and how other retail establishments will expand to answer Amazon's call.
Macrina Damian@macrina_ · Product designer
@chrismessina please watch it again carefully, he is optimistic about technology and innovation (and I am too, amazing times) but the rapidly shift away from human labor (especially middle class, Bill) it is a problem to witch we have to find a solution fast (watch it from 5:30, as a solution he proposes guaranteed minimum income @ 9:57)
Jose Luis Pajares@gelo · Product designer and UX advisor
This is a huge leap in retail experience. First because access is restricted, you can only buy if you are already an amazon customer. Second, it confirms the level of analytical certainty that artificial vision has achieved and its potential in all industries
Vineeth@vinbhai4u · iOS developer
Shopping with gf will be a mess ;'(