Amazon to Close Amazon Go
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Amazon Go, equipped with the cashierless Just Walk Out system, was heralded as a marvel when the first location opened to the public at Amazon’s Seattle headquarters building in 2018. Efforts to deploy the expensive array of ceiling-mounted cameras and sophisticated software to full-sized Fresh and Whole Foods stores were a bust.
The company announced in a blog post on Wednesday that it is shutting down both its grocery and automated grab-and-go convenience stores, Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go, marking the end of yet another failed experiment to crack brick-and-mortar retail.
Through its brick-and-mortar trials, Amazon realized its customers have a stronger brand affinity with Whole Foods Market than they do with Amazon Go or Amazon Fresh convenience stores. Fully closing these concepts allows the company to consolidate its brick-and-mortar strategy entirely around Whole Foods.