Shoppers will soon be able to visit one of the big four, conduct a weekly shop and walk away with groceries without having to visit the checkout.

Using a new mobile app, shoppers will be able to fill a bag with groceries - scanning barcodes with their phone as they go - and even pay via their smartphone. At no point will they have to queue at tills or interact with any member of staff.

The identity of the supermarket gearing up to launch the app is currently being kept under wraps by developers Retalix. However, Tesco currently uses a wide range of Retalix software across its PoS, self-checkouts, customer kiosks, fuel sales and existing mobile commerce. It also recently rolled out the latest version of Retalix software.

“Retalix is one of a very small number of technology companies who we regard as strategic partners in our efforts to improve the shopping trip for our customers,” said Tesco CIO Mike McNamara when he announced the rollout.

The new app, ‘Retalix 10 Mobile Shopper’, will offer full checkout facilities. It will also send personalised deals to customers mid-shop based on purchasing history and have a strong integration with social media, allowing shoppers to ‘share’ deals.

Both the retailer and developers are confident the supermarket will not see a rise in shoplifting.

“You have to address the potential for fraud holistically,” said a spokesman for Retalix. “After paying via mobile, an e-receipt will be sent to the phone as proof of payment. That is just one of the various checks and flags in place. This app is a similar concept to self-scanners, so customers may be checked randomly.”

He added: “Waitrose said that as customers using its self-scanners are pre-registered and fundamentally honest, the fraud it has experienced is negligible.”

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