Lidl is preparing to roll out scan and shop handsets in stores, allowing shoppers to save time at the checkouts.
It has filed a trademark in Europe and the UK for ‘Lidl & Go’, to apply to digital payment systems including “customer-operated electronic terminals available on-site in retail stores”.
The trademark applies to both the hardware and software for the devices.
The discounter is already testing a new scan and shop feature in its Lidl Plus loyalty app. A limited ‘friends and family’ four-store trial of the feature launched in September, ahead of a planned phased rollout next year. It allows users to scan items with their phone as they put them in their basket. They then scan the app at a self-checkout before paying.
The addition of handsets is expected to provide shoppers with similar convenience without having to use their phone to scan items.
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Scan and shop handsets have long been offered by traditional supermarkets including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Waitrose, as an alternative to using an app. Last year Morrisons belatedly joined the trend with a trial of devices in six stores.
However, Lidl will be the first discounter to deploy the tech, with traditional rivals such as Tesco having the advantage more space in stores to allocate to dedicated checkout areas.
The move follows Lidl’s rollout of self-checkouts across its estate last year.
Lidl did not provide a comment on the trademark but confirmed it related to self-scanning.
It has been exploring self-scanning since at least 2021, when The Grocer revealed it had created a dedicated app called Lidl Go.
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