Irvine’s first Amazon Fresh may have just opened, but its sister store to the north has already begun gleaning plenty about the consumers shopping its door.
Amazon.com late last month opened its grocery concept’s first OC location at the Market Place in Irvine, coming on the heels of the first ever Amazon Fresh in Woodland Hills in August.
A spokesperson for the retailer told the Business Journal since the Woodland Hills opening, “we’ve been pleased with the customer response to the store, our prices, selection and convenience.”
The new concept is integrated into the regular amazon.com shopping experience via the “Fresh” tab, with an option for delivery or pick-up in store or through curbside service. There’s also integration with Amazon Alexa (to locate an item in store or create a shopping list), in addition to the new Dash Cart allowing for self-checkout.
The company’s spokesperson said, based on customer feedback so far, there’s been positive responses to the store design, satisfaction the friendliness and helpfulness of employees, pricing and the prepared food options. The pizzas in the prepared foods section is one of the top purchases at the store.
While customers are telling the retailer they’re using the Dash Cart as an incentive to skip the lines, the tech’s also being used to track what’s being spent as customers walk through the store.
“We’re observing that customers are enjoying the ease of using our QR code payment option at the checkout stations,” the spokesperson added.
The QR code gets scanned after the Amazon app is launched, with the credit card already on file with the retailer used for payment. Receipts are then emailed.
Additional Amazon grocery stores in California are planned for Fullerton, Ladera Heights, Long Beach, Northridge and Whittier.
