Mediamarkt and Saturn Let Customers Pay Right at the Advisor

Mediamarkt and Saturn are bringing a checkout-free way to pay to their stores. Under the name "Pay-on-Shopfloor", customers can settle the bill directly with the sales advisor who helped them choose a TV, washing machine or laptop. According to the company, the service is now available in 400 stores across Germany after a pilot phase.

How it works

The system relies on a SoftPOS solution from payment provider CCV, which turns suitable mobile devices into card terminals. The receipt is either printed by the device or sent to a nearby printer. Payment service provider Computop integrated the solution into the existing payment infrastructure of Mediamarkt and Saturn and handles central control of transactions. That infrastructure already combines online retail, conventional tills and self-checkout, so new payment options can be added without building a new architecture. Onboarding reportedly took just two days per store.

The approach is reminiscent of the Apple Store, but Mediamarkt does not plan to abolish its checkout area. Regular tills and self-checkouts remain, and the mobile option is meant to add flexibility, the company says.

Why it matters

Waiting at the till remains a major annoyance in physical retail. A recent study by payment provider Adyen found that 16 percent of Germans abandoned a supermarket purchase at least once within six months because the queue was too long. In electronics retail, the figure was eight percent.

Paying on the shop floor could spare customers the queue, and it keeps sales staff from losing a buyer who changes their mind on the way to the till. It should also shorten lines at the remaining registers.

There is a catch: the concept only works with cards or wearables. Anyone who wants to pay in cash still has to go to a till. Depending on how the system performs in Germany, the company wants to roll it out in its international Mediamarkt and Saturn stores as well, though no details have been given.