Co-op trials scan and pay technology with Mastercard

Following in the footsteps of Amazon, which in January launched its self-checkout store Amazon Go, The Co-op is also testing its own technology that would allow shoppers to scan a product with their mobile phones, pay for it and then walk out of the store, thus avoiding check-out lines.

A Co-op spokesman said the pay-in-the-aisle technology, a joint venture with Mastercard, would appeal to time-pressed shoppers looking for a fast, “frictionless” buying experience where they did not have to queue at the till.

Currently, the technology is tested at a store in the Co-op’s support centre in Manchester, which is not open to the public. A further trial at the Co-op in Microsoft’s UK headquarters in Reading, Berkshire is expected.

The store group has said that they expect to roll out the technology as early as 2018 summer.