British supermarket chain Tesco is trialling a digital receipt service which will instantly send via email an electronic record of purchases to customers using a unique NFC sticker linked to an app on their smartphones.

Customers taking part in the trial in one store in Harlow, Essex, are able to tap the sticker on a special terminal at the till to request their digital receipt and receive a truncated paper receipt.

Their data is stored anonymously, preventing shoppers who use the service from being targeted for marketing.

Tesco says the trial will end in November and they will be “speaking to customers to get their thoughts before we decide whether to extend it”.

‘Easier shopping’

“We’re always looking for ways to make the shopping trip a little bit easier for customers,” a spokesman says. “We’re currently trialling a digital receipt service in one of our stores which will allow customers to keep a record of all their receipts in one place.

“We know some customers find it tricky to hold onto a number of paper receipts. Data is stored anonymously, as a result we cannot use the collected information for marketing.”

In June, Tesco Bank and Mastercard announced they were working together to “enhance mobile and digital payments” at the supermarket giant to make it easier for Tesco customers to pay.

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