AmazonGo for China is a small box with automated retail success

Bingo! When Amazon released details on AmazonGo, it was pretty amazing. I remember watching their YouTube video on it with excitement.

Between the LIDAR, computer vision and machine intelligence involved, it felt so futuristic.

In China, the realm of cashless QR codes, easy $ of WeChat ubiquity à la Tencent, and go-to-market speed in urban landscapes specializing and honing in on R&D, anything is possible. Enter #BingoBox (缤果盒子).

I first heard about Bingobox on Tech in Asia, who along with Tech Node are amazing blogs to follow startups and innovation in the East.

Is this where Retail is Heading

The alternative me, wakes up in Shanghai ready for my instant noodles before work, and bingo, there's a store for that.

The idea of a high-tech automated convenience stores that are scalable is infiltrating Beijing and Shanghai and spreading.

Walking into staff less (zero cashiers) convenience stores doesn't seem like a dream anymore, one where customers open the door and pay the bill with their phone. QR code enabled fun, I should think.

Picture a 7-Eleven in miniature, and you sort of get the idea.

Here's yet another great example of China's go-to-market beating out western equivalents.

Born in Zhongshan, in southern China, our QR codes are primitive in comparison.

They even have a selection of fresh foods, which I think it's important to note.

Running 24 hours daily, the store as its name suggests, is a box of around ten square meters.

The RFID tagged items are better than having to scan each item's bar codes Walmart style, but early results still appear to need some refinement. This is where calling it an AmazonGo clone falls apart, but the concept is still worthy of mention.

Scan and go must be better than this. Self-checkout is as bad as ordering McDonald's on a touch screen.

Bingobox makes up for this by being discount driven, with items at 20 to 30 percent cheaper of your run-of-the-mill 7-Eleven.

Discount + Automation = reason to be excited.

Before Target scrapped their store of the future idea they too were going to be smaller, a lot smaller. China also affords the easier payment. No need to scramble for dozens of different apps, plastic or an array of loyalty cards. Just use Alipay or WeChat.

But with so many things being a first mover is kind of important.

  BingoBox closed its USD 14.5 million Series A financing round in May.

There is also a camera that checks to make sure your items match, as you leave the store.

Alibaba's own Tao Café, uses advanced facial recognition. As for BingoBox, combining QR code sign-in with facial recognition is a quick and dirty grab and go experience, good enough for now.

TechNode's Eva Yoo, does not disappoint with their take on it as well:

QQ video link.

If you get trapped in the store (it has been known to happen!) just call customer support to talk to an actual human being.

Each Bingobox store is also mobile, so the franchise owner can put it where they like.

Global Expansion Much?

With only a person to restock it, it's a brilliant idea. Since it has a strategic partnership with Auchan Group, one of the top ten retailers in the world, a global push for expansion is not out of the question asap.

As impressive as Mobike and Ofo are, I'd keep my fingers crossed on this one.

Part of the elevator pitch of Bingobox is only four retail employees are needed to run 40 stores. That's a ratio that means you can discount the items and still turn a profit. GGV Capital as lead investor with contributing from also Ventech China. They plan to have 500 of them in operation by the end of 2017.

To open the store door we need to scan the QR code and confirm our phone number.

Forgot your wallet but have your phone? No problem, you know the drill. After a text message authentication, the door will automatically open, yay, I mean Bingo!

All GIFs by Tech in Asia (Steven Millward).

Would you shop in a BingoBox pod, I mean store? Why or why not?

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