Starting today, shoppers at Sainsbury’s Holborn Circus store in London will be able to go fully till free, as the supermarket rolls-out its SmartShop Scan, Pay & Go technology in a bespoke food-to-go store.

Customer feedback from the experiment will help develop the app further, before being rolled out more widely.

All customers will scan and pay for their groceries using the SmartShop app, which can be downloaded on smartphones. Customers scan groceries as they go round the store, pay in the app and scan a QR code before leaving, which reassures them that they have paid.

The store has been refurbished to remove the checkout area and tills, freeing up staff to spend their time on the shop floor, helping customers and keeping shelves fully stocked. The store will have a helpdesk to support anyone who wishes to pay with cash or cards.

Sainsbury’s noted that currently, 82 per cent of transactions in this London convenience store are cashless.

The experiment will last for three months, during which Sainsbury’s will listen closely to customer and colleague feedback.

Sainsbury’s was the first UK supermarket to bring in-app mobile payments to customers in a grocery store, in August last year, and the technology is currently live in eight convenience stores across London.

Group chief digital officer Clodagh Moriarty said: “We know our customers value their time and many want to shop as quickly as possible - technology is key to that.

“This is an experiment rather than a new format for us – it hasn’t been done in the UK before and we’re really excited to understand how our customers respond to the app experience.”

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