US department store Macy’s to introduce mobile checkout-free shopping
Major US department chain Macy’s have announced plans to introduce a new mobile checkout platform within their stores. The platform will allow customers to skip the checkout and pay using their smartphone. Customers will be able to by scan bar codes on items with their phone within the Macy’s mobile app.
The feature will be first introduced in the brand’s Bloomingdale’s store in New York’s Soho neighbourhood and is expected in all Macy’s stores by the end of this year. . To use the service, customers will need to download the free Macy’s app and join Macy’s free Wi-Fi network. As they browse the assortment, customers can scan the items they wish to purchase using their phone’s camera and the app’s built-in scanner. As part of Macy’s ongoing price simplification strategy, the app will easily allow customers to apply relevant offers and rewards to eligible purchases. Once they are ready to checkout, they can pay on the app with their pre-registered credit card to complete the transaction.
From there, customers will be directed to special Mobile Checkout counters set up in close proximity to store exits to have sales assistants verify the purchase, remove security tags, and bag their items.
“As part of our ‘test, iterate and scale’ model for innovation, we are excited to expand our launch of Mobile Checkout powered by the Macy’s app, providing our customers with the opportunity to self-serve and speed their transactions with us in-store,” said Jeff Gennette, Macy’s, Inc. chairman and chief executive officer. “We think of the Macy’s app as a key we hand to our customers, a key that allows them to unlock an enhanced shopping experience – a world of possibilities. With this powerful tool in hand, we give them the opportunity to engage with us on their terms. And we keep adding exciting new features to it based on what they tell us.”
Macy’s is one of America’s most iconic retailers. The company employs over 130,000 people and operates more than 690 department stores under it’s Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s brand long with 160 specialty stores that include Bloomingdale’s The Outlet, Bluemercury and Macy’s Backstage.
