Japanese convenience store chain Lawson has set up an automated store at the Tokyo headquarters of Mitsubishi Foods.

This is the second trial of its Lawson Go project after the Covid pandemic put an early end to its previous attempt at the Lawson Fujitsu Shin-Kawasaki TS Cashless Store.

Lawson Go offers the convenience of walk-through payment to meet the needs of customers who want to finish shopping in the shortest time at stores in offices and hotels.

In February 2020, it started a demonstration experiment at the Lawson Fujitsu Shin-Kawasaki TS Cashless Store, but due to the spread of remote work due to the corona crisis and the flow of people in the office, developments were put on hold.

This time, in response to the recent recovery in the flow of people, it is starting an experiment of Lawson Go at Mitsubishi Foods’ headquarters.

“We believe that this will lead to improved convenience for people who find it inconvenient to shop in office districts where the number of restaurants and shops has decreased as the rate of people coming to work increases,” said a company statement.

Shoppers enter the store by holding the QR code with a registered dedicated app and, when they leave the store with the product in hand, they can automatically pay with a payment method set up in advance without going through the cash register.

By checking the movement of customers with cameras installed in the store and matching them with the weight sensors on the shelves where the products are placed, artificial intelligence (AI) can determine which products the customer has picked up and how many. Customers complete their shopping simply by picking up the product.

At the store, employees will carry out work such as stocking products, but will not perform cash register work. In anticipation of the expansion of Lawson Go, it has added a self-checkout as an alternative payment method to the app.

The Tokyo store will open from 8:00 to 17:00 on weekdays. The store area is17.3m² with the sales floor area 11.3m². About 170 items, mainly rice, desserts and beverages, will be available as well as alcohol, cigarettes, fried foods, frozen foods, ice cream, magazines and books.

Shoppers must download the app in advance and hold the QR code of the app over the entrance as they enter the store. They can then pick up the items they want to purchase and leave the store. Payment is automatically made from a pre-registered credit card and a receipt is displayed in the app.