Supermarket self-checkouts and card machines are hotbed for spread of Covid-19

• Mobile app Ubamarket can reduce virus transmission with aisle sat-nav and in-app payment, removing need for queues and checkouts
• Will Broome, CEO of Ubamarket, discusses the importance of convenience and hygiene amidst Coronavirus fears and discusses role of tech in retail

Retail technology company Ubamarket have developed a mobile app which could help stop the spread of Covid-19 in supermarkets by reducing time spent in-store and enabling customers to bypass the checkouts and queues.

Touchscreens found at self-checkouts and card payment machines in stores and supermarkets across the country represent hotbeds of activity amongst the public, as people continue to shop for essential goods during the coronavirus lockdown. However, these areas are also key contributors to the spread of Covid-19, as scientists now believe that the virus can cling to and survive on surfaces for several days. This makes self-service machines, touchscreens and keypads at checkouts an area of considerably increased risk.

In today’s retail landscape, technology can provide the answer for hygiene and convenience concerns currently facing shoppers and businesses alike. Ubamarket’s mobile app and “Scan, Pay, Go!” technology allows customers to scan products as they shop, be guided around the store with a supermarket sat-nav, and completely bypass the tills and queues by paying for their shopping in-app.

The usage of this app drastically reduces the amount of time spent in-store for customers, but still allows them to effectively purchase all goods and avoid any potentially dangerous contact at the tills, whilst enabling retailers to cater to more customers and better assess the consumer demand for all products. The technology on offer allows for staff to be deployed elsewhere in the store, and with stock levels under scrutiny during this crisis, colleagues can help replenish items and safely help more vulnerable customers.

Will Broome, CEO of Ubamarket, discusses the need for retail technology, both in the current climate brought about by COVID-19 and the future of retail:

“The outbreak of COVID-19 has highlighted a number of areas in which Britain’s grocers can improve by making the shopping experience far more hygienic and convenient for customers, not only for the current circumstances, but moving forward. Self-checkout tills are one key area where the coronavirus is likely to remain and then be passed on to shoppers, contributing to the wider spread of the virus.

Retail tech such as Ubamarket will remove the need for long queues and potentially dangerous contact at the tills. We are committed to helping supermarkets to provide a more hygienic shopping experience for their customers, by doing away with the need for time-consuming queues, unhygienic checkouts, complicated store layouts and confusion about where products are and whether they are in stock. 

What’s more, on the retailer side, stores which implement retail tech solutions will be able to access far more in-depth and accurate consumer data, helping them to assess their behaviour, manage stock more efficiently and effectively, whilst being able to effectively communicate directly to the consumer base.“