Fast food giant Panera Bread is piloting palm reading technology from Amazon that lets customers pay and access the chain's loyalty programme.
The bakery-café is testing the Amazon One technology at two of its 2100 locations, with more to follow in the coming months.
Customers that choose to enrol in Amazon One and link their MyPanera account hover their palm over the Amazon One device to make payments and access the MyPanera loyalty programme, which has 52 million members.
Amazon says its tech addresses a major pain point for the restaurant and retail industries: customers sometimes choose to skip loyalty programmes because they prefer to get in and out with their purchase, rather than deal with the sign-up and redemption processes.
Similarly, redeeming rewards often requires customers to open a sub-menu in a mobile app, find email vouchers, or remember to bring physical coupons-all of which are time-consuming and inconvenient.
Niren Chaudhary, CEO, Panera Bread, says: “Amazon One is a great option for guests who want a quick and convenient way to sign up for our MyPanera loyalty program, redeem their rewards, and pay for their order with a simple hover of their palm over the Amazon One Device—all while enjoying a highly personalized in-store experience.”