UK – Sainsbury’s, the second largest chain of supermarkets in UK, is planning to get rid of checkouts as its tests new technology that allows customers to scan and pay for shopping using their smartphone.
According to Sun, this is not the first time that Sainsbury’s has tested the technology as last year the lunchtime shoppers at Sainsbury’s London Euston Station store had the opportunity to trial the “scan & go” app, to buy the £3 On The Go meal deal without visiting the checkout.
Sun also added that according to research by Juniper on behalf of Sainsbury’s, it estimates that 30% of store transactions are set to be contactless by 2020, accounting for a third of in-store transactions, and that this new system will offer consumers another convenient way to pay in-store.
“Technology and changing customer shopping habits have transformed the way people buy their groceries.
Our teams are constantly working hard to bring new convenient shopping experiences to customers and we’re delighted to be the first grocery retailer in the UK to offer customers the ability to shop checkout-free,” said Sainsbury’s head of digital, Clodagh Moriarty.
The supermarket hopes to use the feedback from their Clapham customers to develop the checkout-free experience before they launch the technology across more stores over the coming months.
The SmartShop app is currently available across 68 Sainsbury’s stores where customers can use a portable barcode scanner as they move around the store – but they still have to go to a till to pay.
According to FoodBev, the trial follows the introduction of a similar system by retail rival Tesco in June and the launch of Amazon’s first checkout-free store in January, as retailers aim to meet changing consumer habits.
“The latest version of SmartShop, with its new payment feature, will make it super quick for customers to get in and out of the store for those that want to scan, pay and go.”
