The trial, which according to the company, is the first of its kind in the UK, is taking place at its Clapham North Station Local store in South London. Customers are using an app called Smartshop to scan the goods, which they then pay for using Apple Pay thereby eliminating the need for tills.
Speaking of the trial, 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 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. Sainsbury’s will use customer feedback from Clapham to develop and improve the experience before testing the technology in different store types and locations over the coming months.”
According to Sainsbury’s, in-store contactless payments are predicted to reach $2 trillion by 2020, counting for one in three in-store transactions.”
