Amazon is touted the next generation of their RFID lanes that are portable and can be deployed in hours.

Ideal for pop-up shops, festivals, and temporary retail locations, the Just Walk Through system builds on the RFID technology pioneered in 2023 for merchandise: walk-through lanes that use RFID tags to automatically detect what customers are carrying, so they can simply grab items and walk out by tapping their card to pay.

Since 2018, Just Walk Out has become more flexible and cost-effective for retailers. According to company officials, they Seattle-based company has reduced deployment costs by over 50 percent and cut installation time from weeks to hours across a variety of store sizes and venues— from 500-square-foot pop-up shops at music festivals to permanent team stores at stadiums.

Latest Just Walk Out Innovations

The latest RFID lanes that were on display as this year’s NRF show featured three enhancements that make checkout even faster and easier. In-lane screens with an intuitive user interface guide shoppers through the checkout process while displaying cart totals. Motorized gates automatically open and close for seamless traffic flow. Dynamic pre-authorization gives customers greater cart visibility to help ensure they know what they’re spending before completing their purchase.

Previously, customers using RFID lanes had to push through manual gates and wait until after checkout to see their cart total—now these enhancements give customers greater cart visibility and automated guidance through the checkout process.

Battling Theft

Using specialized readers to detect unique tags on merchandise, the updated RFID lanes leverage multiple antennas and smart algorithms that detect everything a customer is carrying. Each lane can handle up to six transactions per minute—making these lanes five to ten times faster than a traditional checkout.

Built-in loss prevention also automatically detects unpaid items and closes exit gates when necessary, while ensuring paying customers never experience delays or false alarms. This accurate tracking capability helps retailers reduce theft while improving the customer experience.

The updated RFID lanes have rolled out to 17 pilot locations in 2025— including a pop-up at the Camp Flog Gnaw music festival with Amazon Music selling artist merchandise and a store at the Circuit of the Americas racetrack operated by Proof of the Pudding selling concessions.

Quantifying the Results

The next generation of RFID lanes is the latest evolution in Just Walk Out technology’s journey, with more than 360 third-party locations across five countries, and 36.7 million items processed through 17.7 million shopping sessions in the past year.

The impact of Just Walk Out technology is clear: Lumen Field in Seattle increased total sales per game by 47%, BayCare’s St. Joseph’s Hospital in Florida reduced wait times to 3 minutes from 25 minutes, and UC San Diego in California served 11% more students while reducing retail theft by 83%.

Beyond third-party retail locations, we’re bringing Just Walk Out technology to Amazon’s own operations, including more than 40 Just Walk Out enabled stores live at Amazon fulfillment centers, and many more planned to go live in 2026. This internal deployment demonstrates our confidence in the technology while creating additional opportunities for innovation and scale.