The world's first unmanned duty-free store, "QUICK N' EASY," opened on March 31, 2023, at Brussels International Airport in Belgium.
Customers can enter the store by scanning their boarding pass at the gate, and any items they pick up are automatically added to a virtual cart. Before leaving, customers can confirm their purchases at a payment terminal located at the exit.
Eviden, an Atos business, successfully implemented the fully automated store solution that includes multiple sensors; Hitachi-LG 3D LiDAR sensors and weight-sensor shelves from Shekel Ltd (Israel) are used to detect picked-up items and identify who picked them up.
Hitachi-LG 3D LiDAR sensors are installed in 21 locations within the store to track customer behavior for marketing purposes. This trend toward frictionless purchasing experiences, like unmanned stores and automatic payments, is gaining momentum in the retail industry.
As stores like "QUICK N' EASY" become more popular among travelers, frictionless purchasing experiences will spread worldwide.
