Carrefour Flash, shopping without scanning

Carrefour is opening its first connected shop on November 25th, which allows customers to shop without scanning products. It differs greatly from Amazon Go, Auchan Go and others in that it is open to all, and requires no prior registration.

 

After Auchan Go, here is Carrefour Flash, a new shop in which the customer does not scan the products. Located at 11 avenue Parmentier in Paris, this former pedestrian drive-through that became Carrefour Express reopened on 25 November, still run by its four employees.

 

While the range has hardly changed, this 50 m2 mini outlet is now packed with technology. 60 cameras and 2,000 scales integrated into the shelves allow the filling of the basket to be monitored in real time.

 

Carrefour Flash is open to all, which is a key difference from existing concepts of the same type. There is no need to download an app to enter, nor to identify yourself. The customer is therefore anonymous. As a result, they have to go through one of the three checkouts, all of which are self-checkout, to pay once their basket is full. Payment is still very fast, however, as the ticket is displayed automatically as soon as the customer is in front of the terminal.

 

Carrefour Flash is a former pedestrian drive-through transformed into a Carrefour Express, which has a range of 900 convenience products.

 

The products are placed on shelves equipped with scales, located inside each rectangular room with small holes. Combined with the cameras, this technology monitors the filling of the basket in real time. Even if the product is put down.

 

The technology implies that certain rules, duly displayed, must be respected so as not to disrupt the detection of purchases, such as not being in a group to pay. Nevertheless, shop employees are there to intervene in case of difficulties.

 

Once the customer has finished shopping, he or she must go to one of the three self-check-out tills, two of which allow contactless payment. The ticket is displayed automatically when the customer faces the terminal.

 

After paying, it is possible to receive the receipt in electronic form by flashing a QR code.