Tesco bosses have confirmed many shoppers will notice a bold change as they peruse the aisles. The supermarket giant has thousands of stores in the UK, with customers offered the option to “Scan as you Shop” at more than 500 of these.
This service allows Clubcard members to scan items as they shop, with a handheld scanner, as they go around the store. It can even be packed straight into bags as, once a customer is finished, they can pay at a Scan as you Shop till.
The supermarket’s retail arm revealed on Wednesday, October 9, that these devices will soon allow Tesco to “target” shoppers, serving up “brand ads based on a shopper’s location in store”, according to The Grocer. At a supplier event in London, the supermarket shared a number of advertising opportunities for brands, including what it referred to as “in-store Scan as you Shop geo-targeting”.
Tesco Media and Insight Platform, its retail media division, launched ads on the self-scanning devices last year, claiming it was the the first retailer to do so globally. But this version, which has yet to be released, allows ads to pop up as customers approach particular shelves or store sections.
Lee Roberts, head of sales at Tesco Media & Insight Platform, told suppliers: “This means you’re going to be able to target customers in proximity to an aisle, to a shelf, as they navigate their way around the store. I’m about to go into the frozen aisle and on my Scan as you Shop device I’m delivered a display message for a particular product, offer, or promotion that’s in that frozen aisle. And this can be replayed as you navigate your way around the rest of the store”.
A date has not yet been given for its availability, but Mr Roberts added that it is a “huge step forward in terms of our location-targeting capabilities, and a massive step forward for our connected store offering”.
Scan as you Shop devices are offered in 580 Tesco stores, with the service strictly for Clubcard members. Currently, around 200 stores offer brands the opportunity to run ads on their handsets.