The integration of checkout hardware that can scan the hands of customers, and use this to verify their identity and then charge their Amazon account based on the amount of goods they are buying at supermarkets operated under the Whole Foods brand, is a step forwards for the company.

The system will only be available to those who are willing to sign up to the Prime subscription service, which also includes free next-day delivery for products ordered via safe shopping online.

Amazon claims that there will be plenty of benefits associated with the system, including the improved convenience at the checkout. While paying by card takes four seconds on average, the hand-scanning solution can complete a transaction in just 0.3 seconds.

Whether this technology will be introduced in the UK, where a total of eight different Whole Foods outlets are operating at the moment, remains to be seen. It could even be possible for Amazon to introduce similar biometric scanning abilities to its online shopping service, which would give customers a different way to identify themselves and confirm orders without having to dig out their payment cards and enter personal details painstakingly whenever they want to order.