Sam's Club Extends Scan-And-Go Mobile Checkout Service To All Stores
By Christine Kern, contributing writer
App now available to all club shoppers and being tested at select Walmart stores.
Earlier this month, Innovative Retail Technologies reported that Sam’s Club had tweaked its Scan & Go App for customers of the big box store, allowing for easier use and checkout of items in-store. The updates to the app help save customers time, especially during peak shopping hours when the check-out lines are busiest.
Initially, the option was available at 259 clubs nationwide, with expansion plans for the future. Scan & Go is separate from the existing Sam’s Club app and can be downloaded free from the Apple App Store. While the app is currently only available for iPhone, an Android version is in the works and should be available soon.
“We are always looking for ways to optimize checkout for improved speed of service and member experience,” Dianna Gee, spokeswoman for Sam’s Club, told Mobile Commerce Daily. “There is new technology in place that wasn’t previously available with the 2013 pilot.
Now, Sam’s Club warehouse membership unit supports scan-and-go mobile checkout service in all of its 645 U.S. stores, according to the company’s website. While in the store, a shopper scans each item's barcode through an application downloaded to an iPhone or Android phone; the app keeps a running tally of the items in the cart, and offers checkout and payment capabilities. Shoppers show the receipt on their phone to a Sam's Club employee as they leave, similar to the process with physical receipts, to prove they’ve paid for all of their items.
The app is one part of Walmart’s strategy to leverage mobile to streamline the customer experience in-store. Shauna Bowen, vice president of operations transformation at Sam’s Club explained, “The primary focus is to elevate the member experience by making the checkout process faster as well as making it more convenient for the member.”
Walmart is also testing the Scan-and-Go service at several Walmart locations, according to TheStreet, although the Dallas Morning News reports the company backed away from a similar pilot earlier this year.
Walmart has been serious about improving its customer experience and improving its sales. As part of that commitment, Chase has expanded its relationship with Walmart to process payments on ChaseNet, the bank's closed-loop network, at more than 5,000 Walmart and Sam’s Club locations in the U.S. and at Sam’s Club e-commerce site.