The first store controlled by artificial intelligence in Italy has opened in Verona. How it works

“Prendi&Vai!” is the first autonomous store in Italy and belongs to the Conad supermarket chain. The store allows customers to select, buy products and pay without going through the cashier, putting everything directly in the bag.

How the supermarket works without cash registers

Specifically, the store is equipped with a “computer vision technology”, consisting of cameras capable of monitoring the entire perimeter, following the customer from the moment he enters the store until he leaves, and identify the exact product chosen thanks to artificial intelligence.

To provide a second check, there are also sensors on each shelf that detect the change in weight each time a customer picks up a product to place in the shopping cart.

“It is a supermarket dedicated to those who want to do their shopping quickly, without wasting time in queues and which raises the level of service”, says Massimo Volpe, co-founder of Retail Hub.

Currently, the store in Verona employs seven people who, instead of passing the barcodes at the checkout, can help the consumer in the choice or the dynamics of the purchases.

The format of such a store has already been successfully tested in Lisbon and Brazil, “where, as a side benefit, there has been a reduction in theft,” he points out, “because everyone who enters is monitored and, even if they hide products under the coat, all are detected by the network of cameras and the scanner at the exit”.