Sainsbury's has launched its first digital-only store that will feature no tills whatsoever.
Starting today, shoppers at Sainsbury’s Holborn Circus in London, will be able to check out on their phones only, as part of the grocer's latest trial to speed up the shopping experience.
It said at present, 82% of transactions at the trial store are cashless - with many customers workers on the go.
The experiment will put SmartShop Scan, Pay & Go technology to the test "making grocery shopping quicker and more convenient".
It said that dependent on customer feedback, the trial could then be rolled out further across the UK.
All customers will have to scan and pay for their groceries using the SmartShop Scan, Pay & Go app which they can download on their smartphone.
To use it, shoppers will have to scan their grocers as they go along, pay through the app, and then scan a QR code before leaving which confirms that they have paid.
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The Holborn store will have a helpdesk to support anyone who wishes to pay by cash or card - although it estimates this will be just 18% of shoppers.
The experiment will last for three months during which Sainsbury’s will assess customer and colleague feedback to decide on a wider rollout.
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.
Sainsbury’s 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.
"We’ll be with our customers and colleagues all the way over the coming months, iterating continuously based on their feedback before we decide if, how and where we make this experience more widely available."
In October, Marks & Spencer launched a new 'checkout free' service to allow customers to shop and transact in under a minute.
The rollout follows the Co-Op's first checkout-less supermarket last March, allowing customers to shop and go in just minutes from their smartphones.
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