Congleton store to roll out of ‘scan & go’ shopping app

A convenience store in Congleton, Cheshire is all set to deploy the Jisp mobile shopping app which offers shoppers a digital, frictionless shopping experience.

Alton-based mobile app Jisp has earlier announced a partnership with the Federation of Independent Retailers (NFRN) to roll out the technology to convenience retailers across the country.

Steve Archer, owner of Hightown Convenience Store in Congleton, will be the first retailer trying out the app’s scan & go capabilities.

Customers who have downloaded the app on their phones can start shopping by scanning a QR code located on Jisp’s Payment Pod located at the store entrance.

They then simply scan items as they move through the store and scan the displayed QR code at the Payment Pod a final time to complete the purchase.

“Local retailers have played a significant role in serving their communities during lockdown. The fact that our customers will now be able to simply scan and go in my store, means that we can offer our customers an even safer environment,” Archer commented.

The service is expected to rival the speed and convenience of contactless and self-service options, allowing retailers to serve more customers, more quickly.

“Purely and simply, this technology levels the playing field. My store will be offering something that has previously only been available at the big supermarkets. So now we can show people we are positively enhancing our offering and it allows my little shop to compete with the big boys,” Archer added.

The app also gives the stores the ability to market themselves outside of the store, strengthening the customer relationship, loyalty and retention. The retailers have various options for digital engagement through the app, which include weekly quizzes for repeat customers through their smartphones, advertising events happening in their local communities and offering unique deals.

The solution also provides retailers with same-day home delivery, click & collect and mobile payments services.

Jisp hopes to recruit 500 independent retailers by the end of the year with the support from the NFRN.

“We want to give smaller businesses a bigger voice,” said Julian Fisher, founder and chief executive at Jisp.

“So, we’re helping to bring independent retailers into the digital age by empowering them with technology only previously afforded by superstores. And, in the age of COVID-19, we want customers to feel safer when shopping with Scan & Go, spending less time queuing and more time enjoying the experience they get when using our app.”

Stuart Reddish, national president of the NFRN, added: “What we appreciate about the app is that it gives our members immediate digital access to their customers. Commerce has been moving increasingly online for many years, and the impact of COVID-19 will only accelerate this.

“The larger players have usually had the advantage when it comes to resources, but the Jisp app will empower us to digitise and provide a more modern customer experience. Shoppers can pay quickly and easily and, in the post Covid-19 environment, this will satisfy their preferences for not handling cash.”