Supermarket chain iFresh to distribute biometric automated retail technology in the Americas
Leading Asian-American supermarket chain iFresh has agreed to become the exclusive distributor of biometric retail payments and unmanned smart retail technology from Xiamen Yidong Intelligent Technology Co. in North, South, and Central America.
The retail technologies use palm prints, facial recognition, artificial intelligence and smartphone apps to replace traditional labor with automated checkout machines and provide a seamless customer experience, according to the announcement.
The partnership includes distribution of Xiamen Yidong Intelligent Technology’s E+Store, E+Box, E+Door, E+AI, E+Cabinets, E+Shopping Cart, and related products, and extends for 5 years, with a 10-year renewal option for iFresh.
“We plan to both use Xiamen Yidong’s smart products in our own stores and sell these products to other interested parties. We expect our customers to be attracted to the convenience of these unmanned checkout stations and we also plan to integrate the technology with current US payment systems to make it easier for US vendors to use,” says iFresh Chairman and CEO Long Deng. “iFresh is planning to open unmanned convenience stores in the United States in the future. We hope to develop a franchise system and use this technology to transform gas station convenience stores across the United States so that they benefit from reduced labor costs. Further, iFresh has started to incorporate retail smart technology services and smart technology across the value chain.”
Recent announcements that FaceFirst facial recognition will soon be launched in hundreds of U.S. locations, and of a cloud service launch from DeepCam indicate the rapid advancement of biometrics into the retail sector.
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