Tesco UK launches cashless store Tesco has today opened its first cashless store in High Holborn, London, with shoppers offered a range of payment methods on self-service tills, including contactless cards and Apple Pay. The store is Tesco’s second cashless concept, following the opening of a test store in May 2018 at its headquarters, although the test store featured a mobile self-scanning and payment solution. Frictionless concepts continue to be an important part of the store of the future as brands and retailers look to engage and retain shoppers
The shift to develop a cashless store concept is driven by the decline in the number of customers paying by cash, with the majority of some Tesco Express store transactions in the UK completed electronically. The move follows the opening of numerous automated convenience stores with friction free payment methods, such as GS25 in South Korea, Carrefour with Flash in Paris, and Ahold Delhaize with its Lunchbox store in the US, some featuring camera-based solutions to automatically register when a customer takes a product from the shelf.
While other cities have sought to ban cashless stores, digital payment is now a key element in creating a fast and efficient store experience, and particularly within the convenience channel. Rethinking middle of the store merchandising solutions and gaining access to in-store shopper tracking data will be important as front of store space shrinks and impulse opportunities evolve in these new concepts.
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