No need to worry if you accidentally leave your wallet and phone behind on your next grocery outing. Thanks to Amazon’s (AMZN) Whole Foods, customers can now make payments using the palms of their hands.
The consumer tech giant made an announcement on Thursday regarding its intention to introduce the palm-payment technology, known as Amazon One, across all 500-plus Whole Foods stores in the United States by the end of this year. Consequently, patrons will have the convenience of simply hovering their hand over an Amazon One device during checkout. This action will allow them to make payments using the card associated with their Amazon account and automatically apply any available savings.
Presently, the technology is accessible at over 200 locations across the US, encompassing states such as Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and several others.
Customers have the option to pre-enroll in Amazon One by providing their credit or debit card information, linking it to their Amazon account, and registering their mobile number online. This quick pre-enrollment process takes approximately one minute. Afterward, they can finalize the enrollment by scanning their palm at a Whole Foods store or any other participating location where the Amazon One technology is available.
Earlier this year, Panera Bread launched Amazon One at two of its St. Louis-based locations, and now they have intentions to extend this service to 10 to 20 additional stores in proximity to Amazon’s headquarters in Seattle.
During that time, the then-CEO of Panera Brands, Niren Chaudhary, expressed his anticipation that the adoption of Amazon One would “spread rapidly.”
He added, “I just see this as a natural evolution of using biometric technology to drive convenience, loyalty identification, and payment,” similar to how it’s being used in airports and supermarkets.
Amazon One has also been implemented at Coors Field (TAP), the home stadium of the Colorado Rockies MLB team. It serves the purpose of verifying the ages of fans who purchase alcohol during games. In addition to sports venues, this technology is also available at various other locations, including gyms, airports, and more.
According to Leandro Balbinot, the CTO of Whole Foods Market, ever since the company introduced the technology at its locations two years ago, they have received feedback from customers expressing their love for the convenience it provides.
The expansion of Amazon One coincides with Wall Street’s ongoing enthusiasm for Amazon’s stock. Year-to-date, shares have surged by nearly 57%, representing an 11% increase compared to the previous year.
