Nick Yates, Chairman of Reis & Irvy's, discusses Amazon Go

The future of convenient and grocery stores is skyrocketing as the American public watches the first automated, brick and mortar store open on January 22 in Seattle, Washington. The new, excitingly innovative Amazon Go is opening as planned. Certain established retail businesses have attempted to update their stores by creating ultra-modern interiors, but they neglected to renovate the structure of the technology, and this is where Amazon Go starts.

Amazon Go has been working on this new concept, a totally automated store, for over four years. Amazon has been “working out the bugs” since 2016; in 2017, Amazon bought out Whole Foods for $13.7 billion in cash, and, yes, that’s billion, in anticipation of Amazon Go opening this year.

How Does It Work?

In order to charge the customers and automatically bill to their Amazon account, there are literally hundreds of tiny cameras working together to monitor the customer. These cameras are extremely high-tech, and the store runs on a smartphone app. Each customer must have this app downloaded on their phone, but then, they can put their phone away because everything is automated. It happens because the state-of-the-art technology extends to each item, on each shelf. When a product is picked up, it is charged to the owner. If the owner of the app returns the item, it is deducted. This is the ultimate technology that is overtaking the present retail purchasing system of this century.

Still Working on Some Details

Some of the bugs include monitoring groups of people, like families, who move about the store. Children, who are naturally smaller, cause some confusion for the cameras when they pick up items and place them somewhere else or eat them in the store. The computers that manage the store have been “wigging out” when the store gets overloaded, and the people are moving too quickly. Another issue detected was when two customers come in together, so Go is tweaking this issue by having Amazon employees go into the store in pairs when they are on lunch break.

The software that Amazon Go is using is extraordinary. It had to be able to differentiate between brands and sizes with details even humans can’t distinguish. The technology in the software that Go has developed has such acute attention to detail that it can detect and discern a human being even if they are wearing a Pikachu costume! Amazon Go is moving at warp speed to bring automated retail to the world.

About Nick Yates:

Nick Yates is a successful serial entrepreneur based out of San Diego, California. Over the course of his long and varied career, Nick Yates‘ passion has always been focused on offering simple, healthy food to consumers on the go. While pursuing this dream, he has remained at the forefront of various technological advances in both the US and his native Australia. Nick Yates’ dedication to both healthy food choices and revolutionary technology have kept him on the bleeding edge of the vending industry.

Nick Yates obtained his background through a degree program completed at the University of Technology in Sydney, Australia. Nick Yates emerged with a dual baccalaureate degree in both business and marketing. After graduation, he spent his time over the next 20 years gaining experience as a leading professional in his industry.

Nick Yates currently serves as the Chairman and CEO of Generation NEXT Franchise Brands, a public company that is driven by revolutionary concepts. Of those concepts, Reis & Irvy’s and 19 Degrees have earned Nick Yates and Generation NEXT Franchise Brands various accolades and well-deserved recognition.

About Reis & Irvy’s:

The Reis & Irvy’s FroYo Kiosk is the first fully automated frozen yogurt robot vending machine to ever hit the market. This amazing kiosk serves up to nine incredible flavors and a choice of six delicious toppings in just 60 seconds or less. It’s a fully enclosed point-of-sale system that offers an interactive, robotic kiosk and incredible sensory experience.

The company launched a beta-phase production at the end of 2017, followed by full-scale production plans in 2018 with an anticipated rollout of approximately 250 units per month. Soon the Reis & Irvy’s experience will change the landscape of the frozen yogurt world forever.