August 10, 2023, 3:40 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
In many supermarkets and discount stores, customers still pay traditionally with cash or card–at least for now. More and more retailers are adopting new methods for making purchases. The discount chain Aldi Nord is currently testing a new payment system in the Netherlands that aims to make shopping easier for customers. What does the project look like, and what can customers expect?
More and more retailers are sustainably transforming their payment and shopping systems. The traditional checkout is increasingly being replaced; self-service checkouts are already commonplace in many stores. Some retailers are taking it a step further. For instance, Kaufland recently introduced the “Bluecode” system, and Aldi Nord has plans as well. The discount chain is currently testing a new system called “Shop&Go” in Aldi Nord stores in the Netherlands.
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How “Scan&Go” Works at Aldi
With “Scan&Go,” the name says it all: Customers can scan and pay for their items themselves–without any checkouts. You scan the items with your smartphone, adding them to your cart. To use the system, you need the corresponding app from Aldi. Payment is also made via the app, using a credit card or another payment service that you have previously linked in the app.
Alternatively, you can transfer the data of the scanned items to a terminal within the store and pay on-site. These terminals can also be used as regular self-service checkouts. The necessary hardware for the pilot project is provided by the Austrian manufacturer Shopreme.
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Will “Scan&Go” Come to Aldi in Germany?
So far, the new pilot project is only running in the Netherlands, specifically in Benkel-Erschot, near the Belgian border. However, the “Scan&Go” project is not Aldi’s first of this kind. Just last year, the discount chain tested a system in Greenwich, UK, where no checkouts are used. This system, called “Shop&Go,” works by having customers register in the store using a QR code generated by the app. Instead of traditional checkouts and staff, cameras and weight sensors monitor the shopping. A similar store also exists from Amazon in the U.S.
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To what extent the “Scan&Go” system will be implemented in other countries like Germany is not yet known. However, Aldi refers to it as a project “for the entire Aldi Nord group.” Company spokesperson Dennis Boczek clarified that the test must first be thoroughly evaluated. A release in Germany is also conceivable after that.