Scan & Go Feature To Be Expanded In A Number Of Wal-Mart Stores

Scan & Go Feature To Be Expanded In A Number Of Wal-Mart Stores

Reports revealed that the “Scan & Go” feature of Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT) will be offered in over 200 outlets in the United States. The feature allows items to be scanned using the iPhone of users while they shop.

For the moment, the feature is limited to about seventy stores, most of which are located in Atlanta, Georgia and Bentonville, Arkansas. Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT) will soon be offer in twelve areas including Texas, Oklahoma, Oregon, Denver, Omaha, and Phoenix.

The feature was initially tested by the retailer last September through its employees. Following the test, it was offered to its customers. The “Scan & Go” feature allows iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch users to scan items in the store while shopping instead of scanning them at the checkout counter. It will allow users to pay for the items through the self-check-out counter.

According to Gibu Thomas, the Walmart Global e-Commerce senior VP for mobile and digital, the company wants the feedback of its clients to determine the experience. The “Scan & Go” feature will be made available in more markets.

Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT) is set to increase its mobile options in the past year. The retailer offers most of the best smartphones in the market and hosts the mobile service called Straight Talk Wireless. It also uses mobile technology to attract customers as it provides apps to people visiting the store.

Over fifty percent of the customers of the retailer use smartphones, including a number who already used the “Scan & Go” feature a number of times. Although the feature is limited to iOS devices for the moment, the retailer aims to offer an Android version of the feature soon.

The app is only limited to scanning items and it does not allow users to complete the purchase using a mobile device. The retailer is a part of the retail giant consortium that developing a mobile-payment service.

The coverage of the “Scan & Go” feature may be increasing, it is only used by Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT) stores, which is limited to over four thousand outlets in the US.

Posted by Melanie Mendoza on Friday March 22 2013, 3:54 AM EST. Ref: CNET. Link. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Shopping. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0