Hand-Held Cashiers
Walmart desperately pursues hip customers, offers iPhone self checkout
Walmart will soon give a select number of Texas shoppers the power to scan their purchases right out of the palm of their hand. According to a report by Reuters, the retail giant will triple the size of its pilot program, called “Scan & Go,” to nearly 200 stores, including locations in Houston, Dallas or Austin.
“Scan & Go,” which began testing in 2012, allows any customer with an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad to scan their items using the Walmart app on their mobile devices. This allows them to keep track of all items in their cart along with the total cost. Shoppers then bypass the normal checkout lanes for a special self-checkout register.
The next inevitable question is whether shoppers will adhere to the honor system when scanning their own items.
For now, “Scan & Go” users will not pay for their items via apps on their devices; they will make traditional payments. And while the current app is limited to Apple products, the program will include Android devices soon enough, according to Walmart.
The mobile scanner signals Walmart’s push to turn its stores into a more interactive experience for shoppers who embrace smartphone technology, which supposedly includes more than half of all Walmart shoppers.
The next inevitable question is whether shoppers will adhere to the honor system when scanning their own items. A Walmart representative opted not to comment on the issue to CultureMap, due to the program still being in its early stages.
Walmart will focus on receiving a larger pool of customer feedback for “Scan & Go” before any additional expansions. Gibu Thomas, senior vice president of mobile and digital at Walmart Global eCommerce, said, “We want our customer feedback to dictate the experience. You’ll see this roll out to more markets.”
The promise to expand has been kept, and tech-savvy Texans can step in to see if there is a future for Walmart’s next big step into the digital marketplace.
