Searching a product for the barcode – it’s a necessity of self-checkout.
But that time-consuming act could be changing for some products purchased from the country’s largest retailer.
Walmart is testing invisible barcodes on its Great Value-branded items, according to multiple media reports. The technology allows customers to move an item over a scanner for the price to be registered, and, since the invisible barcode is printed all over the packaging, there’s no need to locate a single black and white bar.
Walmart officials confirmed the test recently to PennLive.com.
“We’re piloting this technology’s potential to make the check-out process faster for customers and associates,” a Walmart spokesperson said in a statement.
Invisible barcodes were first released to Walmart in 2019 through a partnership with technology company Digimarc. Walmart has also used the company’s technology for its scan and order holiday toy catalogs.
There are other benefits of the technology as well. In addition to speed, the technology can also cut down on theft – either intentional or accidental – from items not being scanned. While Walmart has said it has no plans to remove self-checkouts across the country, it has removed them from some areas citing “feedback from associates and customers, shopping patterns and business needs.”
Retailers have recognized self-checkout lanes can lead to greater “shrink,” or loses due to things like customer errors or shoplifting. One study showed companies with self-checkout lanes had a loss rate of about 4%, more than double the industry average, CBS News reported.
