Aldi is the latest retailer to introduce other payment options at checkout-free stores raising a question mark over the popularity of such formats.
The discounter now allows contactless payment at its checkout-free store in Greenwich in London.
According to retail fair, the shop opened in January 2022 amid a raft of other grocers launching till-free formats and allowed customers to shop without scanning any products.
The recent change means customers no longer need to register through the Shop&Go app on their phones and can instead tap their contactless payment card or phone to enter the store.
Aldi said it was adding the payment option to make shopping “quicker and easier for customers”.
Amazon, the pioneer of checkout-free stores, introduced payment terminals at new Fresh stores including Liverpool Street, Moorgate and Notting Hill which opened last year.
It has also retrofitted some stores, such as its Angel, London outlet, to add payment by card options.
According to retail fair, the UK’s largest grocer has fine-tuned the checkout-free format, removing the need for shoppers to use the Tesco Grocery app in its Fulham Reach Express GetGo.
Customers at the Fulham store can proceed to the checkout where it will “magically present them with a list of products they have picked up”.
Aldi UK regional managing director Ben Shotter said that customers had responded “positively” to its Shop&Go trial and the change would “make it even quicker and easier for people to use the store”.
“We’re always looking for ways to improve our customers’ shopping experience, which is what our Shop&Go store is all about,” he added.
Both Aldi and fellow discounter Lidl enjoyed a record-breaking Christmas trading period, as shoppers flocked to the discounters over the holiday season.
According to retail fair, Aldi reported that sales topped £1.5bn for the first time in the four weeks to December 24, up 8% on last year’s figures.
Source: Retail Gazette