Autonomous Checkout Platform WalkOut Rebrands as Flow

WalkOut, which makes an autonomous end-to-end frictionless checkout platform, announced Tuesday (Jan. 18) that it has has a new brand identity called Flow.

“We’re excited to announce our rebranding to Flow as 2022 marks the beginning of a new chapter for us,” Assaf Gedalia, CEO and co-founder of Flow, said in a press release. “We’ve secured key partnerships with flagship chains, both here and abroad, in a relatively short space of time, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds.”

The company’s smartcart solution works with machine learning and computer vision tech to retrofit existing carts and provide more accurate product identification.

Last year, Flow partnered with Machsanei Hashuk, a leading supermarket chain in Israel, which helped Flow roll out more of its frictionless devices.

By using a mountable device with several high precision cameras, Flow is able to recognize products accurately and identify them as shoppers load or remove them. The edge computing and machine vision algorithms also minimize the need for expensive on-cloud servers and high-bandwidth internet support.

Through using a single-sensor architecture and edge computing, retail stores with Flow can operate a better, less expensive solution. The device also adds communications and personalized recommendations, store navigation, supplementary product information and promotions, based on their history.

PYMNTS wrote about the deployment of the Flow smartcart in Machsanei Hashuk last December, which happened in all 62 locations of the Israeli chain.

See also: Israeli Supermarket Machsanei Hashuk Deploys WalkOut Smart Cart

The report said over 60% of shoppers like to buy brands with physical locations — but over 70% of shoppers said they’re annoyed standing in line to check out, which detracts from their shopping experiences.

“As a chain that advocates innovative technologies, we wanted to offer our customers significant savings in waiting times at the checkouts and provide a more personal, accessible and efficient shopping experience,” said Shalom Naaman, CEO and owner of Machsanei Hashuk.