The Future of Shopping: How Contactless Stores are Changing Retail

In recent years, the retail landscape has embraced a revolutionary shift towards contactless shopping, pioneered by innovative platforms like Amazon Go. Yet, it’s not just tech giants leading the way—companies like 7-Eleven and Walmart have joined the race. What’s exciting is the surge of startups like Standard Cognition, Zippin, AiFi, Grabango, and Trigo, all providing state-of-the-art technology that enables retailers to create seamless shopping experiences.

A New Player in the Game: Sensei

While the competition heats up globally, Portuguese startup Sensei has been making waves across Europe. Recently, they secured a €15 million Series A funding round, led by BlueCrow Capital. This funding round also welcomed several new investors, including Lince Capital, Explorer Investments, and Kamay Ventures (part of Coca-Cola and Arcor Group). Existing backers Metro AG and Techstars Ventures also contributed, showcasing strong confidence in Sensei’s vision.

Back in 2021, this Lisbon-based startup raised a seed round of $6.5 million (€5.4 million), led by Seaya Ventures and Iberis Capital. Clearly, investors are enthusiastic about what Sensei has to offer.

Setting Ambitious Goals

With the latest funding, Sensei is setting its sights on an ambitious target: establishing 1,000 fully autonomous points of sale by 2026. Currently, they are already serving clients across Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, and Brazil, with plans to expand to central and northern Europe.

What sets Sensei apart? Their technology blends computer vision, AI-powered sensors, and real-time algorithms to create a truly contactless shopping experience. Imagine walking into a store, picking up items, and leaving without ever having to visit a checkout line. Your virtual cart is updated automatically, ready for payment—one less hassle in your daily routine!

The Retail Experience Reimagined

Vasco Portugal, CEO and co-founder of Sensei, emphasizes the dual challenges facing the retail industry today. "The experience for customers sucks," he states candidly. "Secondly, it’s very hard to process all of the sales information in real time." He draws a parallel to the automation seen in cars and factories, suggesting that retail is on the brink of a similar transformation.

As we reflect on our own shopping experiences—from long lines to confusing sales displays—it’s easy to see how innovations like Sensei’s technology can enhance convenience and efficiency, making shopping not just quicker but more enjoyable too.

Rising Competition

The landscape for contactless retail isn’t without competition. Sensational funding rounds have been reported for other players in the field—Standard Cognition has amassed $239.4 million; Trigo has secured $199 million; Grabango has raised $93.8 million; AiFi follows with $87.1 million; and Zippin rounds out the group with $44 million. The endeavors of these companies signal a robust interest in redefining how we experience shopping.

Conclusion

As we embark on this exciting journey into the future of retail, one thing is clear: contactless technology is set to redefine our shopping experiences for the better. With startups like Sensei leading the charge, we are likely to see a significant transformation in how we interact with stores—less time spent in lines, more time enjoying the process.

The AI Buzz Hub team is excited to see where these breakthroughs take us. Want to stay in the loop on all things AI? Subscribe to our newsletter or share this article with your fellow enthusiasts.