The new RFID lanes are built for merchandise and apparel. These items are much harder to track with camera-based systems since they can be folded, stacked, or carried out of a store in bulk. RFID tags solve that problem by identifying every item. The lanes combine several systems working together at the point of exit. Each lane is equipped with multiple RFID antennas positioned along both sides, which begin reading item tags as a person approaches. Those reads are processed by technology built directly into the lane, eliminating the need for a separate back room or server rack.
A screen inside the lane shows the items detected and the running total. Consumers can finish their purchase by tapping a credit card and exiting the lane. Motorized gates control entry and exit, opening once payment is complete. Cameras are also used alongside RFID, primarily to handle exceptions. For example, they can detect when a person is carrying an item without a readable tag. The system flags this type of transaction, and then a store associate can get involved.
Store associates still play an important role
The technology isn’t meant to eliminate associates, but rather shift their role. O’Neill clarified: “Instead of an associate stopping every checkout, you can have them helping people find what they’re looking for in the store, like a particular t-shirt someone saw online. The goal is to be able to change what associates are doing in the store.”
The lanes themselves are designed to be mobile. They sit on caster wheels, use standard power, and require only a network connection. After several iterations, Just Walk Out has become easier and cheaper for retailers to adopt, Amazon claims. Installation times have dropped from weeks to hours, and deployment costs are also down. In 2025, the new generation of RFID lanes were implemented at 17 pilot locations, including a pop-up at the Camp Flog Gnaw music festival.
While speed of deployment is important, the bigger driver for Amazon is to improve accuracy and reduce theft. As O’Neil acknowledged: “I don’t think anything is 100 percent foolproof.” Even so, he said, the new RFID-based approach is more accurate and more effective than traditional checkout and loss-prevention methods.
Final thoughts
I’ve long been a fan of Just Walk Out and have used it in many venues including Lumen Field in Seattle, Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, and at the Javits Center in New York during the NRF show. The ability to pick up merchandise and leave does require a bit of a mental hurdle. The first time you use it, you might worry about accurate billing. However, after using it a couple of times, that doubt goes away. The RFID lanes add features and streamline deployment —customers can quickly grab merchandise and get back to their seats or other activity instead of having to wait in line.
