Travel retailer lets customers pay by palm via Amazon technology
Hudson, a Dufry company, is achieving a first in the travel industry.
The travel retailer is rolling out the Amazon One biometric payment solution at its Hudson Nonstop store in Dallas Love Field Airport. Launched in September 2020, Amazon One is a proprietary technology designed to let customers use their unique palm signature to pay or present a loyalty card at a store, as well as perform activities like enter a stadium or badge into work. The solution uses custom-built algorithms and hardware to create a person’s unique palm signature.
Hudson is the first retailer in the travel vertical to deploy the Amazon One platform. The company’s Dallas Love Field Airport store already features a licensed version of Amazon’s “Just Walk Out” contactless shopping technology. Customers using Just Walk Out enter with a swipe of their credit card or using “Tap to Pay,” select the items they are looking for, and then walk out. After they leave, customers are charged for the items they left the store with.
As the first-ever Just Walk Out technology-enabled store in an airport to deploy Amazon One, Hudson Nonstop at Dallas Love Field Airport now offers customers two different options to enter and pay – either by inserting their credit or debit card, or by hovering their palm over the Amazon One device at the store’s entry gate. First-time Amazon One users can sign up at the dedicated Amazon One enrollment kiosk located outside of the store to securely associate a credit or debit card with their unique palm signature before entering.
If a customer has previously enrolled in Amazon One, they will not need to visit the enrollment kiosk, and can instead hover their palm over the Amazon One device at the entry gates to enter. Once customers have completed their shopping, the card linked to their Amazon One ID will be charged for the items they selected and left the store with.
Hudson currently has two Hudson Nonstop stores powered by Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology, including its most recent location at Chicago Midway International Airport.
In addition to offering Amazon One in its own select Amazon Go, Amazon Books, Amazon 4-star, Amazon Fresh, Amazon Pop Up, and Whole Foods Market stores; as well as at its Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Amazon also recently partnered with digital ticketing agency AXS to deploy Amazon One at standalone ticketing pedestals at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre concert venue located in the metro Denver area.
“The integration of Amazon One into our technology portfolio demonstrates Hudson’s unique ability to continually redefine and elevate the travel experience,” said Jordi Martin-Consuegra, CEO of Hudson, a Dufrey Company. “With consumers increasingly demanding greater convenience and speed, we look forward to leading the charge in introducing new innovative solutions and retail concepts that are designed to meet and exceed the expectations of our travelers and partners.”
“The introduction of Amazon One to the Hudson Nonstop store at the Dallas Love Field Airport brings another convenient way for travelers to quickly shop and be on their way,” said Dilip Kumar, VP of physical retail & technology at Amazon. “We’re thrilled Hudson is offering travelers in Dallas the ability to shop quickly and effortlessly using a combination of Just Walk Out technology and Amazon One so they can get what they need without having to wait in line, stopping to checkout, or even taking out their wallet.”
Hudson, a Dufry company, operates more than 1,000 stores in airports, commuter hubs, landmarks, and tourist locations across North America.