Amazon will expand its Amazon One palm payment technology to all 500+ Whole Foods Market stores by the end of 2023. The identification, payment, loyalty membership and entry solutions are currently deployed at a total of more than 400 locations in the U.S., including 200 Whole Foods supermarkets, and have clocked more than 3 million uses to date.
The Amazon Web Services (AWS) technology also has been deployed by other brands, including select Panera Bread locations. When members of the restaurant’s loyalty program hover their palm over the reader, associates can pull up their MyPanera account information, greet the guest by name and provide a customized experience, including palm-based payment.
At Coors Field in Denver, Aramark Sports + Entertainment uses the Amazon One “age verification” capability to allow customers 21 and older to purchase alcoholic beverages with a palm scan, without the need to produce an ID card.
Amazon first added palm payments to 11 Denver-area Whole Foods stores in April 2023, and the technology was reportedly rolled out to 65 Whole Foods stores in California beginning in August 2022.
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“We are always looking for new ways to delight our customers and improve the shopping experience,” said Leandro Balbinot, CTO at Whole Foods Market in a statement. “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.”
AWS also has used Whole Foods as a proving ground for other services, such as its supply chain solution. Amazon acquired Whole Foods in 2017 for $13.7 billion.
