Checkout-free stores have opened at both Dublin and Oslo airports.

To enter one of the stores, a customer needs to tap their debit or credit card on the payment terminal at the entry gate.

The technology, rolled out by Planet and Zippin, then pre-authorises a configurable amount and generates a secure token.

In the store, Zippin’s checkout-free platform uses multiple AI-powered sensors, including overhead cameras and shelf sensors to determine what items a customer picks up and adds them to a virtual basket for that customer.

When exiting the shop, the virtual basket is finalised with what the shopper leaves with, and Zippin calculates the final amount due for the items.

Zippin sends the payment request to payment integration tech firm Planet to authorise and process the final amount, completing the transaction by debiting the customer’s card.

Shoppers can then scan a code with their smartphone when they exit to receive a digital receipt.

Zippin says that the technology has the potential to expand across into busy UK airports and other travel hubs, including train stations, where "customers are looking for speed and convenience".

"Our AI-powered technology lets shoppers enter the store, pick what they want, and leave without stopping," said Krishna Motukuri, chief executive and co-founder of Zippin. "Travelers, who might already have their hands full, can simply put purchases in their luggage as they shop, which is a great convenience.

"They’re automatically charged for what they take when they leave, which makes for an easier and faster shopping experience. Thanks to our integration with Planet, shoppers can quite literally zip-in, shop and zip-out.”

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