Pick your groceries, pack your trolley and walk out.
There’s no waiting, no queues, no check-outs.
Welcome to the supermarket of the future.
Aldi in London has rolled out a checkout-less store. (9News)
Customers can simply walk out not having to worry about queues. (9News)
Aldi is the latest to open a checkout-less store in Greenwich, London, following the lead of Amazon in the US, and similar moves by Tesco and Sainsbury’s.
Shoppers download an app and a web of high-tech cameras track them through the store.
They are then billed for their groceries once they walk out.
Woolworths is leading the way in Australia with its scan and go technology.
Woolworths has introduced scan and go options. (9News)
Customers download an app, scan their items and are charged after departing the store.
The Aldi store goes a step further and does not require any scanning.
Professor Gary Mortimer from the QUT Business School said contactless shopping is the way of the future.
“It’s only a matter of time before we see this type of technology roll out across retailers in Australia,” he told 9News.
“It’s exactly what customers are looking for.”
Customers simply need to use the app. (9News)
Smart phone penetration in Australia is at 90 per cent and there has been extraordinary growth in the use of smart watches and phones to make digital payments, Professor Mortimer said.
“Scan and go technology is going to be a must have for retailers going forward,” he added.
“If you’re not in that space, you’re going to miss out in the long term.”
Aldi in Australia has only recently introduced baskets, self-serve checkouts and a limited range online.
A company spokeswoman told 9News: “We have no current plans to introduce register-free supermarkets in Australia.”
More scan and go options are being introduced in Australia. (9News)
While Coles said it has no plans for scan and go or check-out free technology, Woolworths is expanding the number of stores with its scan and go feature.
Since its trial of scan and go in its Double Bay store in 2018, the technology has been rolled out to more than 40 stores across the country.
As new stores open and older ones are refurbished, the feature is being moved in.
Customers are billed for their groceries when they walk out. (9News)
The average scan and go shop is just under 15 minutes and the app allows you to track your spend while you shop which is helpful for customers sticking to a budget, a Woolworths spokeswoman said.
She added Woolworths had no plans to take away checkout service and that scan and go was in addition to its services like home delivery and direct to boot.
Professor Mortimer said COVID-19 had meant shoppers are used to walking into stores and scanning QR codes; this is effectively an extension of that technology.
“It’ll certainly make grocery shopping more convenient, efficient and faster,” he said.
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