Brief:

• 7-Eleven began testing a mobile self-checkout feature that lets customers skip the checkout line and pay for their purchases using the convenience chain's app. The Scan & Pay pilot program is running in 14 stores in the Dallas area, according to an announcement shared with Mobile Marketer.
• To use Scan & Pay, customers scan merchandise they want to buy with their smartphone as they walk through the store, then pay for purchases using Apple Pay, Google Pay or a traditional debit or credit card. After making a payment, customers scan a QR code on a confirmation screen at a dedicated station to complete the transaction.
• Customers can use Scan & Pay to buy any item in a 7-Eleven store except products that require cashier assistance, such as hot foods, financial services and age-verified products including alcohol, tobacco and lottery tickets. The company plans to expand the service to additional cities next year.

Insight:

7-Eleven seeks to make shopping at its convenience stores even easier with the Scan & Pay feature that relies on a variety of mobile technologies, including geofencing, QR code scanning and payments. Waiting in line and the checkout process are two of the biggest sources of complaints for shoppers, Emory University associate professor of marketing Ryan Hamilton told USA Today. That points to why convenience brands like 7-Eleven need to take strategic steps to alleviate those pain points to enhance the in-store shopping experience and drive repeat visits.

Scan & Pay is the latest feature 7-Eleven has added to its mobile app in recent months. The app is also a central part of its loyalty program, promotional efforts and payment processing. The company in September said Apple Pay and Google Pay will be accepted at most of its nearly 8,000 U.S. stores. The brand's digital innovations also include the 7-Eleven NOW smartphone app which enables mobile ordering and delivery, a bot on Facebook Messenger, Amazon Locker accessibility and Amazon Cash.

7-Eleven's test of cashierless checkout comes as Amazon gradually opens more Amazon Go locations and Walmart prepares to unveil its Sam's Club Now concept store in Dallas that doesn't require customers visit a traditional register to purchase items. The new store will be a mobile-first technology lab that incubates and refines new tech services like "smart" shopping lists, voice search and beacon-enabled navigation to find products in stores, epitomizing a seamless shopping journey and demonstrating how mobile tech can augment in-store experiences.