Woolworths expands Scan&Go to five more stores

Following the first successful trial of Scan&Go at Woolworths’ Double Bay store, the supermarket giant has expanded the smartphone shopping trial to five more locations. Four Metro stores in Sydney’s CBD will offer a checkout-free experience from Thursday along with the supermarket’s Mona Vale store on the Northern Beaches.

Customers will have the option to scan products with their smartphone and pay in the app, before tapping off at a dedicated kiosk. But those who prefer the human experience or are a little less tech savvy will still have the option of traditional and self serve checkouts at each of these stores.

Woolworths became the first major supermarket in the country to offer a checkout-free shopping experience when it launched the first Scan&Go trial at Double Bay over 10 months ago.

Head of payments Paul Monnington said the Double Bay trial was a success with “positive feedback” from customers and team members, and expects time-poor shoppers in Sydney’s business district to appreciate the convenience of the new service.

“Most customers in our CBD Metro stores just want to duck in and out for a few items, so we expect the speed and ease of Scan&Go will be quite a popular offer in this setting,” Monnington said in a statement.

The Metro stores selected for the trial include Pitt Street, Met Centre, George Street and York Street.

The retailer is also keen to see how consumers beyond the CBD take to the technology, with another trial in operation since last week at its recently renewed Mona Vale store on the Northern Beaches.

“This will allow us to test the offer with even more customers in a different setting, so we can determine the best role for it in the future,” Monnington said.

Last month 7-Eleven Australia opened its first cashless and cardless convenience store in Melbourne, in which customers choose products, scan the barcodes at checkout counters and pay via the app.

The convenience chain is hopeful the technology will free up workers to now focus on customers and delivering its food offerings. It was first trialed at 7-Eleven’s Exhibition Street Melbourne store while still having the traditional point of sale system, before going the fully cashless and cardless offering.

The Scan&Go app, developed by the WooliesX digital team, is available on the App and Google Play stores, with customers required to upload a credit or debit card prior to shopping.