Self-scanning mobile apps are a perfect example of how retailers can encourage shoppers to use self-scanning tools without having to make additional investments in new devices in stores.
Integral to the retailers’ wider multichannel strategies, the innovation helps in making consumers more loyal to their brands through personalised offers and by offering convenient services.
Raphael Moreau, retailing analyst at Euromonitor International, told ESM that when consumers are encouraged to use a retailer's mobile app in store to scan products, he or she is more likely to start using it to make purchases also.
This works both ways, and helps strengthen the retailer's brand both online and offline, he said. "For retailers, self-scanning mobile apps are also less costly than installing devices such as tablets in stores."
Although in-store tablets can work well for non-grocery retailers, they may be too inflexible and costly for grocery retailers, Moreau believes.
However, beyond gathering data on consumers, the retailer's expertise in interpreting it and leveraging this knowledge to boost footfall and average tickets is what ultimately determines the success of such innovations. Moreau believes that personalised deals are the main benefit of scanning-related apps for shoppers.
He points out Sainsbury’s Scan & Go app and Edeka's mobile payment app as good examples of successful supermarket scanning applications. "For Asda, which does not have a loyalty scheme, the launch of a self-scanning mobile [app] enables the gathering of more consumer data from in-store purchases."
However, innovation is not confined to mobile apps. Walmart’s roll-out of electronic receipts also helps the company gather data for sending personalised offers to customers.
Read more on scanning solutions for the grocery industry in the next issue of ESM magazine.
© 2014 European Supermarket Magazine
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