Four ways to shop: REWE takes hybrid and cashless shopping to a new level

The new pilot Pick&Go store on the Am Wehrhahn shopping street in Düsseldorf sets new standards in technological complexity and customer service. For the first time in Europe, customers at this store can choose one of four ways to pay for their purchases: cashless using Pick&Go, by scanning and paying at the self-checkout terminal, via computer vision support without scanning at the self-checkout, or by going through a traditional checkout line. For the first time, customers can view their virtual shopping cart, captured by AI-powered computer vision. In the future, this will also be integrated into the Pick&Go app. REWE is thus taking its pioneering role in the German food retail sector even further. The Düsseldorf pilot was so successful that the trial was opened to all customers earlier than planned.

Customers in Düsseldorf are free to enter the store, pack their items and leave, each time selecting whichever payment option suits them best – in other words, they pick and go. With REWE Pick&Go, customers’ purchases are recorded securely and with minimal data collection using the latest camera and sensor technology and, if the customer so wishes, automatically invoiced when they leave the store, without the need to check out. It is hard to imagine a quicker, simpler or more convenient way to shop today. With around 750 square metres of retail space, the Am Wehrhahn REWE store has around 18,000 items on sale and also offers a selection of sushi, a fresh food counter, reverse vending machines and a wider range of payment options.

Paying couldn’t be easier or more flexible

The reopening of this popular store following interior renovation and installation of the technology attracted considerable interest. Our many regular customers in particular were delighted at the reopening and immediately showed an interest in the new payment options. We therefore opened up the trial to everyone much sooner than planned. It was an exciting time for us in store, too. A growing number of customers are using Pick&Go and the no-scan self-checkout has also proved popular. The traditional checkout line is still much loved, however. The decision is sometimes made spontaneously in the cash register zone, and that is perfectly fine, explains store manager Lukas Pyka.

The pilot store launch in Düsseldorf marks the next step in REWE’s provision of in-store computer vision support. The technology had already been tested in the Pick&Go stores in Cologne, Berlin and Munich, but was previously only available to Pick&Go app users. Now all customers can benefit from the technology and pay for their shopping even more flexibly. Previously, the system differentiated between checked-in users and non-users. Now, all customers in Düsseldorf can decide as they shop how they want to pay and leave the store. If they wish to use computer vision-based shopping at the self-checkout terminal, all they have to do is select “Display my shop,” and their virtual shopping cart will be displayed on screen. They can then remove any incorrect products or scan in missing items. With this option, payment is still taken in the usual way. If using the Pick&Go app at the exit, however, there is no need to visit a terminal and pay manually.

Before its use in the recently reopened Düsseldorf store, computer vision-supported payment had already undergone several months of testing at a self-checkout terminal in Berlin. One of these terminals will soon also be installed at the Munich store to expand the service there too.

Fast, convenient, straightforward and secure

Data protection continues to be at the heart of the development and operation of the system. Data minimisation principles are followed when processing the customer images captured by the system. The images are used exclusively to enable checkout-free shopping in a hybrid store. The system only records data identifying items being removed or placed back on the shelf, and it does not use facial recognition technology or “remember” customers on subsequent visits to the store.

Despite the new technology in place, jobs at the Düsseldorf store remain secure. The Am Wehrhahn store employs around 30 staff members, which is standard for a store of this size.

International technology partnership

In this project, REWE is working alongside Trigo Vision Ltd, a company specialising in computer-aided vision technology. Trigo’s solution generates a 3D model of a supermarket that digitally models the environment and movement within that environment, allowing customers to choose items and leave the store with them while still protecting their privacy.