Amazon’s Palm-Power Checkout Backed by FreedomPay Technologies

Partnership aims to usher in next evolution of safer, frictionless payment options

9/22/2023

Whole Foods Markets in Austin to Pay By Palm

FreedomPay provides the payment and data platform with a network of key merchants and foodservice providers that are critical for the introduction and mainstream adoption of Amazon One.

Amazon One — the contactless identity service that uses your palm to enter, identify, and pay — is now integrated with FreedomPay’s commerce technology platform.

Together, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and FreedomPay’s technologies enable merchants to offer a seamless checkout process and a faster way to pay. Shoppers will be able to use their palm to pay with FreedomPay using Amazon One.

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Amazon One uses multiple characteristics of a palm to identify each person who uses the service. When a customer holds their palm over the Amazon One device, the technology evaluates various aspects of the palm to identify that it’s that person. Cameras in the hardware capture surface-area details like lines and ridges, as well as subcutaneous features such as vein patterns. No two palms are alike, so the technology analyzes multiple attributes and selects the most distinct identifiers to create a customer’s unique palm signature.

In addition to being used at Amazon Fresh stores, Whole Foods Market is upping its own commitment to palm payments. The Amazon-owned grocer revealed that it will offer Amazon One at all of its 500-plus U.S. stores by the end of the year.

FreedomPay now provides the payment and data platform with a network of key merchants and foodservice providers that are critical for the introduction and mainstream adoption of Amazon One. With FreedomPay’s commerce tech, consumers and merchants gain access to seamless tokenization capacity. According to the company, this feature enhances data security while delivering the personalized consumer experiences. Tokenization protects customer data with a randomly generated “token.” Not only does this protect bank accounts and credit card numbers, it also allows merchants to recognize their customers. It permits customers to build profiles of spending patterns and provide insights to deliver more targeted loyalty programs, promotions and rewards. These features, powered by FreedomPay, enable consumers to use any credit or debit card to check out with any merchant or venue that accepts Amazon One.

“Merchants face a rapidly changing consumer landscape. Payment flexibility will remain key to customer satisfaction and a merchant’s brand reputation,” wrote Chris Kronenthal, president at Philadelphia-based FreedomPay, in a blog post. “As consumer expectations continue to emphasize speed, customization and convenience of checkout, merchants must optimize every interaction with consumers by embracing innovation, prioritizing personalization, and delivering a seamless and secure experience."

Seattle-based Amazon is No. 2 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2023 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. PG also named the company one of its Retailers of the Century.