Macy’s, Inc. announced Monday that it will bring mobile checkout to stores, aiming to accelerate the in-store checkout process.
The department store chain said in a statement that beginning in April, all Macy’s customers who have downloaded its free app for Android and iOS will be able to use mobile checkout, which they can access via free in-store Wi-Fi.
“We are excited to expand our launch of Mobile Checkout…providing our customers with the opportunity to self-serve and speed their transactions with us in-store,” Jeff Gennette, Macy’s, Inc. chairman and chief executive officer, said. “We think of the Macy’s app as a key we hand to our customers, a key that allows them to unlock an enhanced shopping experience, a world of possibilities. With this powerful tool in hand, we give them the opportunity to engage with us on their terms. And we keep adding exciting new features to it based on what they tell us.”
To start the mobile checkout process, customers first scan the items they’d like to purchase using their phone’s camera and the Macy’s app’s built-in scanner. The app also lets customers apply offers and rewards to eligible purchases. Once they’re ready to check out, customers can pay on the app with their pre-registered credit card to complete the transaction. Special mobile checkout counters will be set up in close proximity to store exits, where, once a transaction is completed, associates will verify the purchase, remove security tags and bag the customer’s items. According to Macy’s, most merchandise in the stores will be eligible for mobile checkout, and exceptions will be noted per store.
Mobile checkout was first tested at the Macy’s store in Woodbridge, N.J. Macy’s plans to deploy mobile checkout to all of its full-service stores nationwide by the end of this year.
The company’s Bloomingdale’s division will begin testing mobile checkout later this month at its SoHo location in New York City.