Iconic UK retailer M&S is expanding its mobile self-checkout service to 49 stores across London, following a successful pilot at six stores that saw a Mobile Pay Go transaction being made every three seconds during lunchtime trading.

The service is now also available in one of its Manchester stores, marking the first time the mobile self-checkout service has been available outside London.

Mobile Pay Go lets customers make purchases valued at up to £30 (US$38.94) without visiting a physical checkout. To use it, they need to have downloaded the retailer’s app and be members of its Sparks loyalty programme. They then:

• Open the M&S app on an iPhone or Android phone
• Scan the barcode on products as they shop, or scan all their items in one go once they have completed their shopping
• Click checkout to pay using the card they have saved in the app
• Leave the store without visiting a till

“The new stores to benefit from the technology have been selected based on their huge popularity at peak times,” M&S says.

“For example, at New Change food store, 45% of food to go transactions take place between midday and 2pm.

“Mobile Pay Go helps to reduce queueing times and frees up colleagues so they can offer great service in other areas of the store.”

“We all know how fast paced London life is and how busy our customers are, so the great response we’ve had to Mobile Pay Go has been no surprise to us here at Clapham Junction,” says the store’s manager, Joe Erskine.

“Making it as easy as possible for customers to come in, purchase our products and be on their way is hugely important to us.”

The retailer says it plans to continue rolling out the technology to additional stores “where it’s right to do so”.

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