7-Eleven Pilots New Cashierless Store In Texas

7-Eleven is piloting a cashierless store concept at its corporate headquarters in Irving, Texas for its customers. The concept will examine the unmanned retailer’s potential verses its original brick and motor store, with employees first testing the experience.

In order to shop, customers will need to download an app, sign up, check-in at the store, enter the store, shop, and exit. A detailed receipt will then be automatically sent to them through the app.

“Retail technology is evolving at a rapid pace and customer expectations are driving the evolution,” said 7-Eleven President and CEO, Joe DePinto.

The shopping concept is similar to Amazon Go’s checkout-free supermarket, which automatically detects when products are taken from or returned to the shelves through computer vision and AI learning.

7-Eleven’s cashierless store will also use a mixture of algorithms and predictive technology to separate individual customer purchases from other shoppers. The test-run store will sell beverages, snacks, food, groceries, as well as over-the-counter drugs, and non-food items.

“Ultimately, our goal is to exceed consumers’ expectations for faster, easier transactions and a seamless shopping experience,” said Mani Suri, 7-Eleven senior vice president and chief information officer. “Introducing new store technology to 7-Eleven employees first has proven to be a very productive way to test and learn before launching to a wider audience.”

This new and innovative concept isn’t the first technology-driven change the convenience retailer has released. Last year, the company piloted a mobile checkout feature allowing customers to make purchases using their smartphone. It also launched 7NOW back in 2017 for customers to order their products for delivery.

“Our team is dedicated to continuing 7-Eleven’s legacy of innovation with industry-leading digital solutions. Most recently that has included our award winning 7Rewards loyalty platform, 7NOW on-demand delivery, mobile checkout, and now our new cashierless store,” said DePinto.

Although there is no set date for when the cashierless store will be brought to the mainstream consumer market, the company is confident the new design will play a big role in optimizing convenience for their current and future customers.