Sainsbury’s has launched an Amazon Go-style app that enables London customers to bypass the checkout.
Nine months after Amazon launched its checkout-free store in Seattle, Sainsbury’s has unveiled a similar experience at its Euston branch.
Customers buying the supermarket’s £3 ‘On the Go’ meal deal can download an app that enables them to scan their items and pay without going through the checkout.
The app, which is still in testing mode, is designed to create a “faster shopping experience for customers for whom time is precious”.
Sainsbury’s is also pushing ahead with the trial of its separate SmartShop app, which customers can use to make lists, scan their items and pay at dedicated card-only checkouts. The Grocer understands Sainsbury’s has recently updated the IT system behind the app to enable a wider rollout, having only been available in a handful of stores for two years.
The app is now available in over 30 stores and this number is expected to increase to 50 by the end of the year.
Sainsbury’s head of customer experience Natalie Dunn said the checkout-free app was a “first for Sainsbury’s and for many of our customers”. “We are keen to understand how we can take the concept and develop an offering that is a genuinely useful for those who shop with us,” she said. “We may be some way off from rolling this out - but we’re excited to have taken the first step.”
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