Germany’s Rewe Grocery Chain Opens Autonomous Store in Berlin

Israel-based computer vision company Trigo, which works on frictionless retail checkout, has debuted a new hybrid autonomous grocery store alongside Rewe, a German supermarket group, the companies announced Tuesday (June 28).

Rewe Group is one of the biggest retailers and the second-biggest food retail chain in Germany, per the release, with more than 6,000 stores there.

The collaboration with Trigo will allow Rewe employees and loyalty card shoppers at the store on Schönhauser Allee in Berlin’s popular Prenzlauer Berg neighborhood to walk into a shop, pick out items and walk out without checking out at a normal lane.

Trigo allows for supermarkets to utilize artificial intelligence (AI) computer vision and off-the-shelf hardware, letting them become fully autonomous and digital. The company puts its algorithm on ceiling-mounted cameras, which automatically learn and upload shoppers’ movements and product choices, with the payments being settled digitally.

Trigo and Rewe rolled out their first hybrid autonomous store in downtown Cologne. Trigo has also rolled out stores for Aldi Nord in the Netherlands, Tesco in the U.K., Netto Marken Discount in Munich and Wakefern in the U.S.

“Trigo is immensely proud and honored to be rolling out its frictionless grocery shopping technology with Rewe, one of the world’s biggest and most innovative grocery retailers,” said Michael Gabay, Trigo co-founder and CEO. “Rewe have placed their trust in Trigo’s privacy-by-design architecture, and we look forward to bringing this exciting technology to German grocery shoppers.”

PYMNTS wrote that grocery shoppers used to online shopping’s convenience have been buoyed by the speed and convenience of online shopping. As such, businesses have had to look into ways to cut friction out of the payment process even as the pandemic gives way to more normal life.

See also: Fast, Frictionless Biometric Payments Gaining Ground in Grocery Stores

This has seen Mastercard adding a biometric option, which has allowed for in-person transactions through gestures like a smile or wave of the hand, or a fingerprint. This is currently being tested in five St. Marche supermarkets in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

In addition, Amazon has recently bought Amazon One, allowing customers to pay through palm scans at two Whole Foods Market locations in Los Angeles.