{"id":23255,"date":"2023-06-12T14:20:49","date_gmt":"2023-06-12T14:20:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.meretailnews.com\/?p=23255"},"modified":"2023-07-19T16:25:36","modified_gmt":"2023-07-19T16:25:36","slug":"astra-tech-ai-store","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.meretailnews.com\/2023\/06\/12\/astra-tech-ai-store\/","title":{"rendered":"Astra Tech launches AI store in Abu Dhabi"},"content":{"rendered":"


\nConsumer technology holding group\u00a0<\/span>Astra Tech<\/span><\/a>\u00a0has launched its first fully autonomous store in Abu Dhabi\u2019s Sky Tower.<\/span><\/p>\n

Through \u2018B Store\u2019, Astra Tech aims to transform the shopping experience in the UAE through faster payment processing and fewer hassles.<\/span><\/p>\n

The store enables shoppers to pay for their purchases by using their faces.<\/span><\/p>\n

Integrating facial recognition technology for customer payments in an autonomous store is a unique offering, said Astra Tech in a statement.<\/span><\/p>\n

Autonomous e-commerce director at Astra Tech<\/a>, Valeriya Thores, said: \u201cWe are thrilled to introduce the first-ever B Store and redefine the future of retail.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“This innovative integration of facial recognition technology revolutionises the way we shop and showcases our commitment to providing unparalleled convenience and security. Step into the future of retail with B Store, where your face becomes your ultimate payment method. Our vision has always been to simplify the every day for our customers, and this is another step in that direction.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

How it works<\/span><\/h3>\n

When approaching the entry gates, the customer is greeted with an ELO screen displaying a message: \u201cTap or Scan to Enter\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Customers can choose to pay either using the POS machine by tapping their card or using Payby\u2019s FacePay feature.<\/span><\/p>\n

For card payments, customers proceed to tap the POS machine with their card, while for FacePay, they move to the FacePay machine and proceed to look at it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Once the payment is completed, the ELO screen will initiate a question about their receipt.<\/span><\/p>\n

Upon leaving, customers receive a text message on the provided phone number that says their receipt is being processed. A subsequent message contains a hyperlink, allowing customers to click and view their receipt.<\/span><\/p>\n

It was back in January that Astra Tech was granted a license by the Central Bank of the UAE to conduct Stored Value Facility and Retail Payment Services operations.<\/p>\n

In January, the fintech company acquired Botim, a Voice over Internet Protocol solution for the Mena region to relaunch into an \u2018ultra app.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Abu Dhabi\u2019s G42 has led a $500m fundraising effort to support the relaunch.<\/span><\/p>\n

The acquisition gives Astra Tech an advantage as it plans to expand beyond super apps and build an ultra app with Botim.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mena-based consumer technology holding group\u00a0Astra Tech\u00a0has launched a fully autonomous store powered by AI in Abu Dhabi\u2019s Sky Tower<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":21257,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[1506,96,4574],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meretailnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23255"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meretailnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meretailnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meretailnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/40"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meretailnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23255"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.meretailnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23255\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23258,"href":"https:\/\/www.meretailnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23255\/revisions\/23258"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meretailnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meretailnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23255"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meretailnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23255"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meretailnews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23255"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}