Walmart Expands iPhone Scan-and-Checkout Feature

<p style="text-indent:0px; line-height:12px;"><span style="font-weight:bold;line-height:130%">Bentonville, AR</span><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">By Jordan Okumura<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">03.21.13</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>Walmart is expanding its pilot "Scan &amp; Go" program, tripling the number of U.S. stores that will allow consumers to scan items with their iPhones and pay at self-checkout counters.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><img src="https://cdn.andnowuknow.com/legacyWriterImages/HL_banner_Walmart_mar_2013.jpg" alt="Walmart banner" /><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The program will soon be in more than 200 stores, according to a report in Reuter's. The number is up from approximately 70 locations. The pilot program kicked off near its home office in Bentonville, Arkansas in late 2012.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">According to the report, "We want our customer feedback to dictate the experience," Gibu Thomas, Senior Vice President of Mobile and Digital at Walmart Global eCommerce, said this week. "You'll see this roll out to more markets."<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Currently, "Scan &amp; Go" only works on Apple Inc devices with an Android version available soon. </p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>Walmart is trying to make shopping more convenient with more than half of its shoppers using smartphones. Over half of the customers who have tried the "Scan &amp; Go" feature have used it more than once. Shoppers scan bar codes on items using the Walmart app on their iPhone, iPod touch or iPad to keep track of the planned purchases and the total cost. Next stop, a self-checkout screen where they pay for their groceries and bypass typical registers.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>Walmart is also adding self-checkout lanes to many more stores with 1,000 to 1,500 locations planned to recieve them this year, noted Jeff McAllister, Senior Vice President of Walmart U.S. Innovations.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Additional markets that can expect this new "Scan &amp; Go" program are Denver, Colorado; Phoenix, Arizona; Omaha, Nebraska; Dallas and Austin, Texas; Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma; Wyoming; Bozeman, Montana; Seattle, Washington; San Jose, California; and Portland, Oregon.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/20/us-walmart-checkout-expansion-idUSBRE92J0P020130320" target="_new"> Walmart </a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">