The Sainsbury’s Local till-free trial store is struggling to convert customers to using its payment app.

Staff at the store told RN that just 30% of regular shoppers were paying using the app, meaning the remaining 70% of these customers at the busy central London location were using the single-staffed helpdesk to pay by traditional methods such as contactless and cash.

A spokesperson at Sainsbury’s HQ said it was “early days”, and Chris Griffiths, managing partner at retail tech consultants REPL Group, agreed. “The poor adoption rate isn’t surprising,” he said. “People need to get used to new ideas like this and it’s a sign of consumer habits. It will take time for people to adapt their behaviours.” 

More recent news: Local focus makes Sainsbury’s convenience stores the best-selling in the UK