Sainsbury’s is trialling a new ‘scan, pay and go’ smartphone payment system at its Clapham store in the UK, which will enable customers to pay for groceries without needing to use a checkout.
Shoppers can access the new service through Sainsbury’s SmartShop app, and then scan the products they want as they make their way around the store before paying from anywhere in the store using Apple Pay through the app.
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.
Sainsbury’s estimates that the value of in-store contactless payments will reach $2 trillion 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.
Sainsbury’s group chief digital officer Clodagh Moriarty said: “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.
“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.”
© FoodBev Media Ltd 2024