Microsoft is working on a technology to automate stores

Microsoft is working on a technology that would eliminate cashiers from retail stores. This is a
challenge for Amazon, fully automatic grocery store, operating under the Amazon Go name,
according to Reuters, based on information from six sources close to the case.

According to their information, the software giant is developing systems that track what buyers put
into baskets. Microsoft showed example technology to retailers around the world and interviewed
Walmart about potential cooperation.

Microsoft technology is designed to help retailers keep up with Amazon Go's technology, which
opened in January in Seattle. It is a fully automated store, without cash registers. After entering the
store, customers scan their smartphones, after which cameras and sensors identify what they take
away from the store shelves. When they finish shopping, they simply leave the store and Amazon
issues a bill to the credit card account. Soon, more Amazon Go stores will be opened in Chicago and San Francisco.

It is not clear how quickly Microsoft will bring the new technology to market if it does. It is also
unknown whether its technology will be the answer that retailers are looking for. However, some see
it as another major innovation in shopping, which Amazon competitors can not ignore.