Omni Talk Retail Amazon Pulls the Plug on Palm Payments | Fast Five Shorts
Feb 7, 2026
Jon Malankar, A&M analyst who studies grocery e-commerce and tech, and Ken Cochran, A&M retail expert on store formats and shopper behavior, discuss Amazon ending palm payments and closing Fresh stores. They explore whether the tech or the grocery proposition failed. They debate who used biometric pay and why phones often win at checkout. They consider converting Fresh locations toward Whole Foods-style offerings.
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Palm Payments Failed To Gain Traction
- Amazon ended Amazon One and will remove palm readers due to limited customer adoption and privacy/utility concerns.
- The company also closed 72 Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh stores, signaling the tech-first grocery experiment didn't scale as hoped.
Pause Tech Bets When Economics Fail
- Pause experimental tech when it doesn't deliver privacy comfort, reliability, or clear economics at scale.
- Focus resources on proven brands and formats until the technology and consumer readiness improve.
In-Store Experience Felt Unpolished
- Ken describes walking Amazon Fresh and finding bells and whistles but a floor plan that wasn't optimized for a clear value proposition.
- He felt the format lacked a cohesive, shiny experience despite competitive pricing attempts.