SINGAPORE: Singapore 7-Eleven will soon go ‘cashierless and frictionless,’ a bold move towards the future of convenience stores. The 7-Eleven outlet at Hive 2.0 along Esplanade Xchange introduces the autonomous store, 7-Eleven Shop & Go, as reported by The Edge Singapore.

Customers only need to tap their credit card at the entrance to gain access. A small fee is charged to verify the card, which is refundable if no purchase is made. Shoppers can then pick their items and exit, with the purchase automatically charged to their credit card, thanks to smart cameras, deep learning, and multi-sensor fusion technologies.

Serene Seow, managing director of 7-Eleven Singapore, revealed, “The 7-Eleven Shop & Go store will run for a minimum of six months while we gather and review feedback. We have set a limit of five shoppers within the store to ensure a comfortable shopping experience, and we will continue to monitor and adjust this limit, if necessary.”

There’s also speculation that 7-Eleven might broaden accepted payment options if the trial expands, according to DigitalEdge.

Order at 7-Eleven via QuikBot

In addition to this, office workers at South Beach Development now have the option to order from the 7-Eleven at Esplanade MRT station using the QuikBot app. These orders are then delivered directly to their office buildings by QuikBot’s autonomous delivery robots.

QuikBot’s delivery robots operate seamlessly, consolidating orders on larger robots and navigating lifts, gantries, and multiple buildings. They exchange items to optimise logistics efficiency and self-navigate common corridors as they transport orders between Esplanade MRT and South Beach Tower.