Whole Foods to offer palm payment at all stores
Amazon is doubling down on palm recognition across its network of Whole Foods Market stores. As Amazon One, the company’s palm recognition service for identification, payment, loyalty membership and entry — reaches a critical milestone with more than 3 million uses, Whole Foods Market stores are going all in.
By the end of this year, all 500-plus Whole Foods Market locations in the U.S. will offer Amazon One for payment and Prime membership benefits. This means Whole Foods Market customers who choose to use Amazon One will no longer need their wallet or even a phone to pay — they can simply hover their palm over an Amazon One device. For Prime members who link their Amazon One profile with their Amazon account, savings will automatically be applied.
Amazon One is currently available at more than 200 Whole Foods Market locations across the U.S., and it will continue to be rolled out to Whole Foods Market stores over the coming months.
First-time Amazon One users can pre-enroll online with their credit or debit card, Amazon account and mobile number. They can then complete the enrollment process in seconds by scanning their palm over an Amazon One device the next time they visit a participating Whole Foods Market store—or anywhere Amazon One is available. Once enrolled, Amazon Prime members will automatically see savings and other Prime member benefits applied to their Whole Foods Market store purchases. Alternatively, customers can also enroll for Amazon One in the store at an Amazon One device with their credit card and phone number.
“We are always looking for new ways to delight our customers and improve the shopping experience,” said Leandro Balbinot, chief technology officer at Whole Foods Market. “Since we’ve introduced Amazon One at Whole Foods Market stores over the past two years, we’ve seen that customers love the convenience it provides, and we’re excited to bring Amazon One to all of our customers across the U.S.”
Customer palm data is safeguarded in the AWS Cloud, according to Sanjay Dash, vice president of identity and checkout technologies, AWS Applications.
