Delhaize launches payments by smartphone app

Supermarket chain Delhaize has launched payments by smartphone, using the Bancontact app, the company announced. The system currently can only be used in one store – the Karreveld location in the Brussels commune of Molenbeek. Delhaize promises to have the system in operation in 15 stores by the end of the year.

The customer will be able to scan a QR code on the store’s self-scanner and enter a pin code to pay for groceries. The app first to be configured to the customer’s bank account. The advantage, according to payment systems company Worldline, is that the app can be configured to offer other facilities such as a loyalty card or personalised discount coupons. Worldline says the smartphone payment system is as secure as using a debit card.

Colruyt introduced mobile payments in January but uses a different system involving the SEQR app, which Colruyt claims was cheaper than Worldline. Colruyt customers can pay with their phone in a similar way to the Bancontact app, in 350 stores. In both cases, purchase price is kept at a maximum of €250 per use.

Carrefour, meanwhile, said it was waiting for the European launch of Apple and Samsung’s payment systems before moving to smartphone purchases. At present, a spokesperson said, there is too much variety in the sector, with everyone using different apps. “Studies show that customers will only change their behaviour when there is a trigger,” he said. “Things have to get simpler.”