Sainsbury’s supermarket is trialing a new service called Mobile Scan & Go that allows users to shop with their iPhone or Android phone and pay at the till without unloading their trolley or bags.
The trial is taking place in three stores with a limited number of customers at the moment and these shoppers can download the app from the App Store or Google play and register using their Nectar loyalty card.
In stores, customers need to scan the ‘Check In’ QR code at the location and then use the phone’s camera to scan bar codes on products as they shop. As items are added, a running total shows how much a customer is spending and possible savings along the way. Customers then pay scan the ‘Check Out’ QR code at a till and pay as usual with cash or card.
With the addition of mobile shopping in stores and self-service check out systems, it seems that the supermarket desk clerk may be facing extinction. Earlier this year Reuters reported that US supermarket giant Walmart was also testing a scan and go system for the iPhone. If that trial is successful, we could be seeing it also appear in Asda stores in the UK too.
For now 800 Sainsbury’s customers are testing the new service in Bethnal Green Local, Clerkenwell Local and Tadley, Hampshire. If you’re interested in giving it a try, Sainsbury’s has a registration form here.
Sainsbury’s Mobile Scan & Go: Android | iOS
Image Credit: Ell Brown
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