Sainsbury’s Mobile Shopping App Does Away With Checkout Queuing

Supermarket giant Sainsbury’s has launched a new mobile app which it says will greatly cut down on the time it takes to shop in its stores.

The new app, which lets shoppers create a list at home before guiding them around the store to track everything down, will greatly speed up the payments process to a matter of seconds, the company says.

This is due to the inclusion of an in-built barcode scanner, meaning shoppers can scan each product they pick up and put in their basket, before paying for the lot at the end of their visit.

Speedy

The new app also introduced greater flexibility in terms of arranging home delivery slots, which can now be scheduled on the half hour as well as the hour, along with the option of choosing to share your delivery with other shoppers near you, cutting down on delivery vehicle emissions.

It is currently being trialled with Sainsbury’s teams in stores in the next few weeks and will be first available to Nectar cardholders later next year.

The app should play a central part in Sainsbury’s digital strategy going forward, following the news last month that it will be introducing in-store support for mobile payments from next year thanks to a partnership with payments processor Zapp.

“We know that customers’ weekly shop doesn’t start at our front door – they know what they like and they also like that search for a bargain,” said Jon Rudoe, digital and technology director at Sainsbury’s.

“They still want to come into store – but with limited time, they want to be able to get their shop done quickly. That’s why we’re putting digital firmly at the forefront of our agenda, and putting technology in the hands of our customers.”

The new app means that Sainsbury’s keeps pace with some of its supermarket rivals, as last month, Tesco introduced mobile payments capability as part of a trial at one of its central London stores. Customers used the PowaTag app to pay for their goods by scanning a QR code inside the store, greatly speeding up the payments process.

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