Discount retailer Walmart has begun testing a “Scan & Go” system that will allow customers to pay for their items using their iPhone at a self-checkout counter.
Details on the new pilot program were revealed on Friday by Reuters, which revealed that some Walmart iPhone owning employees were invited to participate in a trial at a Walmart supercenter in Rogers, Ark. Allowing users to scan their own items to pay for them is projected to save the company millions of dollars.
Many Walmart locations already have self-checkout lanes with traditional barcode scanners and touchscreen kiosks that allow customers to complete their own transactions.
The new system would take this a step further, allowing customers to use their iPhone to scan merchandise as it is placed into a shopping bag. The complete list of items would be presented at the self-checkout counter, eliminating the need to scan the products at checkout time.
Details on how exactly the purchasing process works remain sparse, but allowing users to scan their entire orders before approaching the checkout could result in time savings during busy times during the day.
