Spanish Supermarket launches new mobile shopping system to cut supermarket checkout queues « Euro Weekly News
If you do your weekly supermarket shop, you’ll know that getting everything into the trolley is only half the job. There is still the queue, unloading all those groceries at the till waiting for them to be scanned and then packing everything up again. Alcampo is offering shoppers another way to do it, allowing them to scan their own shopping with their mobile phones as they walk around the store. The service, called AutoScan, lets customers scan each product before putting it into their trolley or basket.
Instead of waiting until they reach the checkout, they can build their shopping basket on their phone as they move through the aisles. When they have finished, the contents can be transferred to the till without scanning every item again. AutoScan is integrated into the existing Club Alcampo app and was developed with shopreme, a company specialising in digital self-checkout technology. Customers do not need to download a separate app, but they must be Club Alcampo members.
AutoScan is being introduced across Alcampo stores
The service was first introduced in July this year, with an initial rollout covering around 40 stores in Madrid, Cataluña and Castilla-La Mancha. Alcampo plans to extend AutoScan progressively across its Spanish network before the end of 2026.
It has not announced a confirmed date for when every branch will have the service, so customers should check whether it is available at their local supermarket. Traditional tills remain available for customers who would rather shop as they always have. AutoScan is an additional option, not a replacement for the existing checkout arrangements.
How to scan your shopping with your phone
To use AutoScan, shoppers need the Club Alcampo app on their mobile and must be inside a participating store. They can start a shopping session by scanning the code displayed in the supermarket or using the geolocation function available in the app. The phone’s camera is then used to read the barcode on each product. Shoppers scan an item before placing it in the trolley or basket, and it is added to their digital shopping list. They can continue doing this throughout the shop, rather than having to remember everything they have picked up.
Once they have finished, they select the payment option in the app. A QR code is generated, which transfers the digital basket to the checkout. There is an important detail for anyone expecting a completely phone-based payment system: AutoScan does not mean customers necessarily pay directly through the app. Payment is still completed at a checkout.
In stores with Alcampo’s Cajamiga self-service tills, shoppers can use one of those machines. Where that facility is not available, they need to go to an assisted checkout. The difference is that the products have already been scanned during the shop. Customers do not have to unload the trolley and put every item through the checkout scanner again before paying.
Staff will still be available to help
Alcampo says employees will be on hand to explain how the service works and help customers who have difficulty using it. Store staff have received specific training to support shoppers using AutoScan and deal with problems during the process.
The range of products available through the service may vary according to the store, its format and the merchandise it stocks. That means the experience may not be identical in every branch, even where AutoScan is available. Customers who do not want to use the app can continue to shop and pay through the existing checkout facilities.
Alcampo’s move towards mobile shopping
The partnership with shopreme brings mobile scanning into Alcampo’s existing app and links the digital basket with the supermarket’s checkout systems. Shopreme says its technology is used in more than 2,000 stores across 12 countries.
For Alcampo, the service adds another digital option without requiring customers to use a separate application or a supermarket-issued scanner. The retailer expects to have AutoScan in all its Spanish stores before the end of 2026. Until then, customers will need to check whether their local branch has introduced the service before setting off with their shopping list.
