Amazon has launched a new payment system called Amazon One, that lets shopper pay by a wave of their hand rather than via cards or phone.
The system is also used for ticketless entry into stadiums, redeeming loyalty card offers, or even as a replacement for workplace security badge readers, the technology will first be installed in a couple of Amazon Go stores.
It will be added at the entry gate to enable customers to scan in as part of their cashier-less shopping experience.
Registering with Amazon One requires users to insert your credit card into the reader, then hover their palm over the device. It will prompt you to associate that card with your own unique palm print.
The product will be trialled at two of Amazon’s physical stores in Seattle.
But the company said it is “in active discussions with several potential customers” about rolling it out to other shops in the future.
“In most retail environments, Amazon One could become an alternate payment or loyalty card option with a device at the checkout counter next to a traditional point of sale system,” it said.
Amazon also said the system could be used for “entering a location like a stadium” or scanning yourself into work instead of using an ID card.
“We believe Amazon One has broad applicability beyond our retail stores,” it added.
Early adopters can only try out the first version of the technology at two Amazon Go shops – the company’s experiment with a real-world supermarket that has no checkouts, but instead tracks the shopper and what they pick up.
No Amazon account is required. To register, a customer can just insert their bank card and follow the on-screen instructions to link their palm print to that payment option, Amazon said.
The company promises that the print is not stored on site, but encrypted and kept securely in the Cloud. Customers could also delete their data via website, it added.
