Smart Shopping with Sainsbury’s SmartShop App
Sainsbury’s has implemented SmartShop; an app shopping experience that requires no queuing or payment at the tills. It’s the first supermarket in the UK to implement shopping with technology in this way. Simply browse, scan and bag –just scan the QR code on the way out to complete the shop!
Why has this been introduced?
On average 37 million people in the UK own a smartphone spending over two hours a day using it, making individuals very familiar with apps! With the rush of daily life and hectic work-weeks, a solution to the queue and a means to shop faster, using something people already use daily, is a prayer answered.
Sainsburys Chief Digital Officer, Clodagh Moriarty, said the aim of the technology isn’t to replace staff; there won’t be any staff cuts, it’s to “combine people and technology”.
What are the benefits of this technology-led shop?
The supermarket-chain is striving to provide a shopping experience that works for everyone, from those popping in to grab lunch, to those doing their weekly food shop.
- No more queues: It’s all done through the app. Items are paid for using Apple Pay and Android Pay, and upon leaving the shop it’s required that the QR code by the door is scanned to finish shopping.
- Convenience: It’s not only queuing that can be cumbersome, but hunting down products that the shopper is looking for. One of the SmartShop app features is that a user can scan their shopping list and the items will be highlighted in a map of the store.
- Faster shopping: Shoppers know what they’re looking for, where it is, and they can pay quickly, reducing the time spent in the supermarket.
How can technology transform the shopping experience?
What consumers expect changes with the technology of the time, and businesses are expected to be adapting with those changes. Introducing tablet or iPad retail stands to bricks and mortar shops ensure that shop stays current, increasing payment choices for customers. Motioning to tap a card to pay, only to find it doesn’t accept that payment type, is not only foreign, it’s an annoyance. That extra minute or so is unwelcomed and could result in a bad overall shopping experience.
The Integrator Pro 15 iPad tablet kiosk mount is a fitting iPad POS system for retail applications; it can be adapted to be integrated with any number of devices, such as a scanner, card payment devices and receipt printer.
