QR Codes in Japan’s Seven-Eleven: An All-New Store Experience

You visit the nearby supermarket or grocery store often to buy daily utilities. And you know that it’s appreciable when the store makes the shopping experience better for you. It does not only mean making the premises as contactless as possible but also more efficient.

Addressing this issue, Seven-Eleven in Japan, has come up with a unique solution—QR Codes.

You probably know what QR Codes are. They are basically square-shaped 2D barcodes that can store a lot of information and are easily scannable with a smartphone.

With QR Codes, the store owners can do a lot. From offering an easy way to make and receive payments to managing inventory and giving details of products on the shelves, QR Codes can do it all.

All that customers need to do is—scan the QR Code using the smartphone. Easy, right?

Keep reading to know how Japan’s Seven-Eleven is offering a futuristic and yet safe store experience.

A. QR Code in Seven-Eleven

Seven-Eleven is a convenience store that offers a variety of items. To make the customer experience better,  Seven-Eleven in Japan, will start offering a smartphone app. This app will allow customers to scan the QR Code to know the prices of products and make payments.

Using this app, customers can scan a QR code to enter and leave stores. This not only offers a convenient walkthrough to customers but also helps Seven-Eleven track the number of customers in the store premises.

The aim behind this move is to make store operations digital. Moreover, QR Codes can also help the store admin to ensure social distancing.

Thus, it will not only help offer a safe and convenient store experience but also monitor the store footfall.

B. Benefits of the new system

1. Contactless

QR Code’s contactless abilities create a safe environment for both the customers and the staff alike. From entering and exiting stores to scanning a product and making online payments, QR Codes have got you covered.

With QR Code, they can ensure all social distancing norms in one go. Amazing, right?

2. No long queues

Nobody likes waiting in long queues to make a purchase. And Seven-Eleven has addressed this issue by allowing easy entry, exit, and payment options via QR Codes. That means customers just need to scan a QR Code to make payment.

However, there’s a catch. Customers who want to buy products that require age verification, such as alcohol and cigarettes, (and the ones who want to pay utility bills) will still have to use cash registers.

3. Better productivity

With no longer long queues, employees can utilize their skills in other operations. For example, packing the ordered items and handing them over to courier service partners. Moreover, employees don’t need to attend to cash registers that frequently.

In fact, Seven-Eleven expects to drastically reduce the need for cash registers. This change will account for about 30% of overall store operations. Thus, as per the forecast, the store will be able to reduce staff too.

Now you know how Seven-Eleven in Japan is using QR Codes to offer a better store experience.

In case, you want to know how you can offer a contactless retail store via QR Codes, here is a detailed guide to help you out.