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Tesco is testing a contactless system that sends shopping receipts directly to a dedicated app on a customer’s smartphone, doing away with unwanted paper versions.
The system sees users pay for their items as they normally would, then tapping their contactless card or device to a separate terminal at the checkout which will send the receipt directly to the dedicated app on their phone. A shortened paper version of the receipt will also be printed out at this point.
For now, the trial is in place at just two stores in Essex – and only on the self-service checkouts at the stores in question in Harlow.
The supermarket said the system is entirely optional to use and has been designed to make it easier for customers to keep track of their payments, with paper receipts often getting lost, torn or damaged. The environmental impact has also been mooted, with stores hoping to save paper in the process.
Supermarkets are beginning to increasingly turn to technology to help their customers.
Walmart in the US is already enabling customers to scan and pay for their shop via their smartphone. The shopping giant has also patented technology for driverless shopping trolleys.
Online giant Amazon continues to be a major disruptor in the shopping space, having launched its Dash buttons in the UK that enable users to re-order stock household items such as toilet paper instantly and directly from Amazon by pressing the WiFi-connected buttons. The e-commerce giant is also currently testing drones as a means of delivering small parcels.
