‘In another sign that mobile self-checkout isn’t just a fad, 7-Eleven, the world’s largest convenience store chain, has hopped on the hot mobile scan-and-go bandwagon and introduced its own test service to allow customers to skip the checkout line.”
By Andria Cheng
Forbes
Nov 5, 2018, 09:30am
7-Eleven is testing its own mobile scan-and-pay service to meet the convenience demands of consumers. (Credit: Getty Royalty Free)
7-Eleven Wants To Be Even More Convenient, Expands Scan-And-Pay Test
In another sign that mobile self-checkout isn’t just a fad, 7-Eleven, the world’s largest convenience store chain, has hopped on the hot mobile scan-and-go bandwagon and introduced its own test service to allow customers to skip the checkout line.
After a three-month trial at its Irving, Texas, headquarters store this year, the retailer is testing its Scan & Pay service in 14 more stores in nearby Dallas, with plans to expand it to more cities next year, said Gurmeet Singh, 7-Eleven’s chief digital officer and chief information officer, adding that the company built the prototype technology in-house in just five weeks.
“Americans are spending 30 billion hours waiting in line,” Singh said in an interview. “We asked, ‘How do we disrupt that and redefine convenience?’ We saw a great adoption and feedback.”
With the move, 7-Eleven joins retailers like Dollar General, Kroger and Walmart’s Sam’s Club that also have their own mobile scan-and-pay services. Customers scan barcodes on products such as 7-Eleven’s Slurpees and salads with their phones and pay for their purchases using the 7-Eleven app. The retailer’s service is also integrated with its 7Rewards loyalty program so customers can automatically earn and redeem any available points or coupons when they pay.
The self-checkout service excludes items that require cashier assistance, such as hot foods, financial services and age-verified items like alcohol, tobacco and lottery tickets, 7-Eleven said.
