Amazon to Shutter Palm-Srint Payment System in Retail by 2026, Citing Low Adoption
Amazon is winding down its once-futuristic palm-scanning payment system, Amazon One, at all retail outlets by June 2026, the company confirmed. The decision underscores the challenges of introducing biometric technology into everyday shopping despite significant investment.
First launched in 2020 at Amazon Go stores in Seattle, Amazon One allowed customers to pay and enter venues with a wave of their hand. It later expanded to over 500 Whole Foods locations, select third-party retailers, airports, and stadiums. However, a company spokesperson stated that "limited customer adoption" led to the discontinuation in retail settings, with all associated customer biometric data to be securely deleted post-service.
The move is part of a broader strategic pivot away from physical retail experiments. Amazon recently announced the closure of all its Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh cashier-less stores nationwide to concentrate resources on its Whole Foods Market footprint and expanding grocery delivery operations.
Amazon One faced persistent headwinds, including public skepticism over data privacy and security. In 2022, performers at Colorado's Red Rocks Amphitheatre protested the planned installation, highlighting concerns over biometric data collection. Such resistance likely contributed to its failure to achieve mainstream traction.
While exiting retail, Amazon will maintain the technology for patient identification and check-in at existing healthcare partner locations, suggesting a narrowed focus on specialized, consent-driven environments.
Reactions & Analysis:
"This was inevitable," said Marcus Chen, a retail technology analyst at Berg Insights. "The value proposition for consumers wasn't strong enough to overcome the privacy hurdle. It solved a problem most people didn't feel they had."
"Good riddance," exclaimed Elara Vance, a digital rights advocate with The Privacy Collective. "This was a creepy, invasive solution in search of a problem. It's a win that this biometric surveillance won't be normalized at every checkout line."
"It's a setback for innovation," noted David Riggs, a former Amazon logistics manager. "The technology worked flawlessly. The failure was in communication and trust-building, not engineering. It shows how hard it is to change consumer behavior."
Source: Cleveland.com / GeekWire