2 differences between a shopping cart with bar code scanner and a Scan&Pay solution

Recently, Instacart debuted Scan & Pay solution with a grocer in New York, which has made a wave in the retail industry, just as a shopping cart with a barcode scanner did several years ago. Some grocers and retailers now like to compare shopping carts with bar code scanners and scan&pay solutions, there are 2 main differences.

(1) The shopping process is similar, while customers are more flexible using a shopping cart with bar code scanner.

In a shopping journey using the Scan & Pay solution, firstly, customers scan a QR code on a sign, which also has the store’s Wi-Fi connection information on it.

Customers then scan items’ barcodes, including non-standard items, for example, fruits and vegetables, and pay on their phones when they are done shopping. Before leaving the store, customers use “Scan & Pay Exit” kiosks to scan a QR code on their phones.  

This means in the whole shopping process, customers need to take their mobile phones with them, also, they have to take a normal shopping cart or shopping basket with them.

The Scan & Pay solution links items bought in-store to customers’ online Instacart accounts, allowing them to shop for those same items again.

Shopping carts with bar code scanners allow customers to log in via various methods, for example, membership login, mobile phone login, or direct login. Then customers wander into the grocery store, select items and scan items' bar codes. After they have done shopping, customers directly pay for the shopping bill on the POS or self-checkout kiosks integrated with the shopping process.

The shopping cart with bar code scanner is a tool to carry items as well as a smart machine to provide self-service shopping.

(2) Shopping cart with bar code scanner has more functions and brings more advantages to customers.

Nowadays, frictionless checkout continues to gain footing in the grocery industry, scan-and-pay programs and shopping carts with bar code scanners offer a diverse alternative to physical shopping.

While a shopping cart with bar code scanner has more functions, a shopping cart with a bar code scanner usually has several cameras and a smart shopping cart system, which records customers’ shopping habits and shopping behaviors, based on these data, precise coupons and promotional information can be pushed to customers. This is a good marketing channel for grocers and retailers in physical shopping.

Shopping carts with bar code scanners also offer customers other functions, including automatic billing, indoor navigation, self-scanning, self-settlement, etc. Shopping cart with bar code scanner also has a mature loss prevention system, when customers forget to scan items’ bar codes, the shopping cart knows and will remind customers to scan or alert retailers.

A shopping cart with bar code scanner provides customers a frictionless and improved shopping experience.

Scan& Pay solutions surely provide customers with a frictionless shopping process, too, while the urging need to know what physical customers need and satisfy these customers may be still a question that Scan & Pay needs to solve. (Author : SuperHii , Cindy Xin )

Tag : shopping cart with bar code scanner ; Scan & Pay ; shopping cart ; smart shopping cart project ; automatic billing ; self  scanning ;