NEW YORK —
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is expanding a test of a new checkout program that allows shoppers to scan items with their smartphones while they're in the aisles and then pay at self-checkout terminals.
The world's largest retailer launched what it calls its "Scan & Go" program late last year in about 70 stores in Atlanta and in the Bentonville, Ark., area, where the retailer is based. It is now testing the program in more than 200 stores in markets including Dallas, Houston, Austin, Texas; Denver, Portland, Ore., Seattle, and Phoenix.
The pilot program will still be in a small number of Wal-Mart's more than 4,000 stores in the U.S. But it's part of the company's overall strategy to involve customers' increasing use of smartphones.
More than half of Wal-Mart's customers have smartphones, and 40 percent of traffic from walmart.com is coming from shoppers' mobile devices, said Gibu Thomas, senior vice president of mobile and digital initiatives at Wal-Mart's global e-commerce division.
"Our goal is to give choices to all of our customers however they want to shop," Thomas said during an interview with The Associated Press Wednesday. "It's part of a holistic program to empower the customer."
The program works like this: Customers scan bar codes of the different products using the retailer's Scan & Go app downloaded onto Apple Inc. iPads, iPhones or iPod Touch devices. The app generates a code, which can be scanned at the self-checkout terminals.
The app is only available for Apple devices but Wal-Mart says it has plans to eventually release versions for other platforms.
Wal-Mart, meanwhile, has been expanding its self-checkout terminals and plans to add more than 10,000 self-checkout registers by the end of this year in the U.S.
The pilot program has been well-received so far by customers, with more than half of the shoppers who tried the "Scan & Go" app using again, Thomas said. He noted it's a good way for shoppers looking to keep a running tally of how much they're spending as they place the products in their carts — instead of being surprised at the cash register.
But Thomas also noted that the new service has also appealed to shoppers who like to do their own bagging of groceries. Shoppers can pick up bags at the front of the store and organize the groceries in the bags the way they want.
"They like to bag items the way they keep their items in the house," he said.
Click here to subscribe to The Union-Recorder print edition. http://tinyurl.com/6qdm4oj
Click here to subscribe to The Union-Recorder e-edition. http://unionrecorder.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/viewer.aspx
Probe Begins After Conn. Commuter Trains Crash
NTSB Begins Investigation Into Conn. Train Crash
Lotto Fever Sweeps the Country
Conn. Commuter Trains Collide; 60 Go to Hospital
Coffee Run Leads to Hatchet Hitchhiker Arrest
Fmr. IRS Head Insists No Politics in Targeting
CDC: Fecal Bacteria Common in Swimming Pools
$1 Million in Jewels Stolen at Cannes Film Fest
NM Mom Chases Down Child Abductor
Raw: Crash Sends Car Into Fla. Pool
Raw: Obama Sits Down With Elementary Kids
Raw: Bear Falls From Tampa Tree
Ousted IRS Chief: Errors Not Caused by Politics
Terror Suspect Due in Court in Idaho Friday
Raw: Driver Ejected From Truck, Over Bridge
Could Tobacco Be the Next Biofuel?
Wash. State Releases Draft Rules for Legal Pot
Dying Man's Blinks Lead to Murder Conviction
Officials: Texas Tornado Likely Had 200 Mph Wind
Brothers Arrested in NOLA Parade Shooting
Raw: Tornadoes Spotted in Kansas
Twiggy, the Water Skiing Squirrel
Sailor Surprises His Mom At Her CU Denver Graduation Ceremony
Official: ‘Amazing’ No One Was Killed In CT Train Crash
Coffee Stop Leads To Arrest Of YouTube Sensation Wanted For Murder
Bearded Dragon Reunited With Owner
Marine Reunited with Warzone Companion
Beyonce Is Pregnant!
SF baseball player overpaid $500,000 RETURNS money -- and team says KEEP IT
Dad returns from Afghanistan, surprises family during Rays' first pitch
See Jennifer Lopez's New $10m Hamptons Mansion
Woman tricked into taking abortion pill
Emma Watson Goes Pantless
IRS scandal: Republicans seek to tie Obama to agency's woes
Play of the Day: Flipping to Safety
Pregnant Kim Kardashian Squeezes Her Swollen Feet Into Stilettos
Top Videos of the Week: Angry Taco Bell Guy, Glacier Moves on House, Dog Hates Baths
