The Co-op supermarket is in the process of launching a ‘scan-and-go’ checkout process, enabling users to scan products using their smartphone camera and have the total deducted from their card at the end of the shop.

The initiative will be trialled at the Co-op’s store at its support centre in Manchester, followed by a further trial at the Co-op’s store located in the UK headquarters of Microsoft. It may then be rolled out across the UK over the summer.

The idea is the latest initiative designed to help Co-op stay ahead in the competitive grocery market, with Matthew Speight, director of retail support at the Co-op, saying: “It is a challenging market place for retailers, and the Co-op is responding positively.”

“Our ambition is to harness technology to deliver the shopping experience that our diverse customer-base requires – when, where and how they need it,” he said.

Co-op is one of several stores to trial a cashless payment system, responding to millennials’ demand for easier and quicker payments. Sainsbury’s revealed it was testing a similar initiative back in September 2017, and Amazon hit the headlines last week with its first automated, cashierless store.

Elliott Goldenberg, head of digital payments at Mastercard UK, added: “With the Co-op we are bringing our online and mobile capability – Masterpass – into the physical store, and offering consumers who want a fast and frictionless buying experience, a secure and reliable way to pay.

“By scanning products using Co-op’s mobile app, shoppers can checkout using payment card details securely stored within Masterpass, and leave the store, with both the Co-op and them knowing they have paid.”