Fujitsu-Zippin Partnership Points to Contactless Biometric Checkout

Fujitsu and Zippin will be working together to eliminate the need for checkout counters in Japanese retail outlets. Zippin is the developer of a checkout-free Software-as-a-Service platform that will eventually allow shoppers to complete purchases and walk out of the store without stopping at a traditional checkout terminal.

The Zippin solution uses overhead cameras and sensors to track the movement of goods and people within a store. Fujitsu will be supplementing that with its various biometric identity verification technologies, which will presumably help facilitate contactless payments and enable personalized retail services in a real-world setting.

Fujitsu is planning to release the new joint retail solution in September of 2021. However, Zippin’s current offering will be available much sooner, with Fujitsu preparing to offer it to customers in March. Fujitsu is Zippin’s first exclusive distribution partner, and will initially act as the exclusive distributor of the solution in Japan. The two companies will then look to expand to other territories if the initial deployments go well.

The partnership is intended to support the ongoing digital transformation of the retail industry. Fujitsu noted that COVID-19 has created more demand for contactless and cashless payment technologies, and believes that the Zippin collaboration could lead to payment options that do not even require a smart device.  

Zippin and Fujitsu started trialing their technology at Lawson convenience stores in February, using the time to address potential business and technical issues. CyberLink and NTT DATA also used biometric technology during their own trial of an unstaffed concept store in Tokyo.

“Zippin’s technology has attracted a lot of attention from US, European, [and] Asian companies,” said Zippin CEO and Co-Founder Krishna Motukuri. “We chose Fujitsu as our reseller partner because they are a highly trusted general ICT vendor and we are confident that Fujitsu will drive the market forward in Japan.”

“In today’s rapidly changing environment, a checkout-free store that can eliminate face-to-face payment reflects the needs of the recent situation,” added Lawson Deputy SVP and Open Innovation Center GM Kunitsugu Makino. “We expect the collaboration of Fujitsu and Zippin will infuse new breath into the retail industry.”

The news comes shortly after Fujitsu introduced a new passive liveness detection solution for facial recognition systems. The company has also teamed up with Mizuho Bank and JCB to test blockchain-based decentralized identity technology.

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December 8, 2020 – by Eric Weiss