Sainsbury’s has rolled out a 12-week trial of its first shop-and-go phone scanner at its Clapham North Underground station branch in London. 

In a UK-first, customers can use a smartphone app to scan items directly from shelves, pack them in bags and pay using a digital code at the front of the store. Customers must register a Nectar card to use the service.

Store manager Sekhar Dey said the demographic of the region was prioritised when deciding which store to trial the service in. “There are a lot of customers who use Apple Pay in Clapham and use their phones to pay for goods at checkouts,” he said.

“This service is aimed at that audience who want their products quickly and don’t want the hassle of waiting in big queues. We have had really good customer feedback so far.”

Mr Dey added that in order to crack down on theft, some products are tagged. “A lot of the products are registered in the app and have security tags, but not all of them,” he said. 

The service could be made permanent if successful, and Android users are soon to be included. 

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