The app creates a barcode for the total purchase, which customers can quickly scan to pay at a cashier, self-checkout or dedicated 'shop and scan' kiosk. Stores will also provide digital scales so customers can weigh their produce before scanning. To use Loblaws's shop and scan, customers download the PC Express app on their phone and connect to free Wi-Fi offered in their store. They then use the app to scan items before putting them in their shopping cart.
'Nothing is known until it's really tested out there with consumers and they vote with their pocketbook,' said Toronto retail consultant Bruce Winder. But not all new technologies prove successful: Walmart recently tested a similar scanning system, 'scan and go,' which failed to catch on with customers. In the race to streamline the shopping experience and reduce labour costs, retailers are rushing to innovate. Retailers are rushing to automate the shopping experience by adding technologies such as self-checkout.
