Hunton Retail Law Resource: Lawyering Cashierless Technologies

Brick and mortar retailers are rapidly diversifying checkout and payment methods to combat the erosion of sales to online channels and provide an improved shopping experience for consumers. From self-checkout kiosks, to store-specific mobile applications for payment, scan-as-you-go devices, and even 'just walk out' models, retailers are reinventing consumer's notions of the traditional checkout line by going cashierless. Some estimates predict that these automated technologies could account for 35% of retail sales in the next 20 to 30 years.

There is no doubt that there's a revolution coming to the way consumers buy goods at brick and mortar stores as retailers seek to better meet customers' need for speed and create novel shopping experiences. However, with this revolution comes new risks. There are a wide range of potential issues that retailers should consider before launching cashierless technology, including the following: