A POPULAR grocery chain is trialing new payment systems in a bid to improve system reliability and improve shopper experience.

Albertsons is developing “innovative” payment solutions to enhance consumer experience in its stores, according to a leading executive at the company.

GettyAlbertsons CEO Vivek Sankaran[/caption]

GettyAlbertsons executive has revealed the company is trialing different payment solutions to prevent outages and improve shopping experience[/caption]

Kothai Senthil, who is Head of Payments for Albertsons, spoke on a panel at the National Retail Federation’s Big Show which is an annual retail conference held in New York City.

The NRF’s Big Show brings together over 40,000 retail executives and industry leaders to discuss the state of the sector, technology changes and the rise of artificial intelligence.

Senthil said the company’s biggest challenge was reliability in its payments system, admitting it sometimes faced system outages.

“Outages are the main thing that you want to avoid, you never want someone not being able to transact,” she said.

“I would like to say that never happens, but they do.”

Senthil explained the company was trialing “scan and pay” where customers use the app to scan barcodes on items, pay and leave the store without checking out.

The shoppers show their phone receipt to an employee on their way out, freeing up staff members’ time to spend more time with customers.

The brand is also testing stores with only self-checkout kiosks, where customers can choose a kiosk based on the size of their basket.

Lastly, Albertsons is testing out AI powered self-checkout carts, where customers scan items into their cart.

The cart has cameras and sensors that build a 3D model of the store, so it eventually recognizes items without scanning.

Senthil added that the company was working hard to build trust with consumers as the brand stores all shoppers data including highly sensitive credit card information.

‘TRUST US’

“We want to make sure that whether you come in online or in store that you trust us at the end of the day,” she told retail leaders.

“I care very deeply about this, I want to you to know that we follow the guidelines and that you are not at risk with giving us your credentials.

“We store card information online, and we share that data so if you go to New Jersey or in California we still have your data and we want you to know that your data is safe.”

She said most of the payment systems have been trialed in California and Texas.

Albertsons is not the only company implementing new technologies to help streamline processes and make shopping more efficient.

TECH TAKEOVER

The retail sector is undergoing a huge transformation, with major brands including Walmart, Target, Best Buy and Starbucks rolling out new tech.

The U.S. Sun recently reported how Walmart is rolling out a major tech change to over half their store footprint, introducing digital shelf labels meaning the stores can update price changes instantaneously.  

Speaking on a panel at the National Retail Federation’s Big Show conference in New York City, Walmart Executive Vice President Cedric Clark explained the tech overhaul would provide a more streamlined shopping experience for consumers both online and in-store.

Starbucks also revealed it is testing a new algorithm to help improve the customer experience after wait times for coffees blew out to over 40 minutes.

The changes come after employees complained understaffing in cafes had led to skyrocketing wait times, unfinished orders and lost sales according to Bloomberg News

https://www.the-sun.com/money/13304880/albertsons-payments-texas-california-retail-nrf/