SHOPPERS in a hurry could soon avoid the till all together in an initiative being trialled by the Co-op.
Using an app built with Mastercard’s secure digital payment system, consumers will be able to scan items on to their phones and pay for them instantly.
The Co-op’s director of retail support, Matthew Speight said: “The technology sits alongside conventional payment methods in store, such as self-service tills and manned checkouts, in order to enhance consumer choice and service.”
Speight explained that the move allows customers to scan products on their own device as they walk around the store, which he referred to as a frictionless shopping experience.
When customers are finished shopping, the amount they owe is then deducted from their account with a single click.
The Co-op says cash transactions in its stores have dropped by more than one fifth over the last five years, with a 15% reduction in the last 18 months alone.
Elliott Goldenberg, head of digital payments at Mastercard UK said: “Technology is bringing unprecedented change to retailing right before our eyes.
“With the Co-op we are bringing our online and mobile capability into the physical store, and offering consumers a fast and frictionless secure and reliable way to pay.”
