Tesco trials Scan Pay Go service

Tesco is testing out technology that allows customers to bypass checkouts by scanning and paying for their groceries on their smartphones.

Staff at its Welwyn Garden City HQ are using the Scan Pay Go service in a purpose-built cashless Express store. Patrick Munden, Global Head of Retail at Salmon, comments: “We have already seen this technology with the likes of Amazon Go, and while the online giant has employed an “aggressive horizontality” approach – dipping its toes in TV, grocery, etc. – in a bid to grow in each and every industry, Amazon is increasingly finding pushback against some of its initiatives. For instance, BBC, ITV and Channel 4 are all launching their own streaming service to combat Prime Video, Marks & Spencer trialled its own one-hour delivery service and, of course, Tesco is now taking on Amazon with its checkout-less technology in response to Amazon Go.”

He adds: “In addition to the physical element of “shop and go”, it demonstrates how fresh and innovative thinking can address historic friction points. For all retailers in every industry and every channel, this is a wake-up call to start offering customers a better, frictionless experience that puts the consumer in charge. Amazon is already leading the way in this technology but other retailers need to seriously play catch-up or risk being left behind in this retail rat race.”