Dive Brief:

• Travel retailer Hudson has opened a new checkout-free convenience store at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and will open two more automated convenience stores at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), while self-checkout technology company Zippin has also opened its own c-store at DFW.
• Two of Hudson’s c-stores will feature both Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology and its palm payment technology, Amazon One, while the other will feature more of a standard self-checkout. Zippin’s store uses its own proprietary technology for self-checkout.
• This continues a flurry of c-stores opening in airports that focus on frictionless checkout, a trend that has gained traction over the past year.

Dive Insight:

Hudson’s new stores at LAX include a Hudson Nonstop store and an Evolve by Hudson store, both of which will be located in Delta Air Lines’ concourse. The stores will expand Hudson’s c-store count in LAX to 46, Hudson said in an announcement.

At DFW, the Hudson Nonstop store is adjacent to a wine bar in a 1,6000 square-foot space with 25 seats. It offers food and wine as well as convenience items, from grab-and-go products to electronics and local souvenirs. At LAX, a Hudson Nonstop is slated to open within the coming months. 

Hudson’s Evolve store is set to open in early 2023. Hudson did not provide details on the specific type of frictionless technology this store will use — only that it will offer the concept, along with a mobile point-of-sale system.

Zippin’s newest 1,4000 square-foot c-store at DFW opened in July, although the company is only now releasing details on its launch. This is Zippin’s third airport store, with other locations at Tom Jobim International Airport in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and New York’s JFK International Airport. 

With Zippin’s proprietary technology, shoppers enter the store by tapping a credit card or scanning a QR code, grab their preferred items and leave. Zippin’s technology uses sensors and overhead cameras to identify which items have been selected and creates a virtual shopping cart. As the shopper exits the store, their card is automatically charged.

All of these store openings highlight the trend of c-stores focused on frictionless checkout appearing inside airports. Last summer, a Hudson Nonstop store debuted at Chicago Midway International Airport, powered by Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology.

Last month, retail food and beverage distributor Star Concessions opened Grab & Fly at DFW for a c-store that’s also powered by Amazon technology.

Amazon’s Just Walk Out and One technologies let customers enter the store, pick up their items and exit without stopping to pay. At stores that use Just Walk Out technology, associates are still available to help customers and keep the shelves stocked. When using Amazon One, all customers do is enter a credit card or hover their palm over the device, which reads their identity