Kroger tests biometric transactions
The days of wallets and purses bulging with credit and loyalty cards may soon be over; some Kroger stores are testing a system that could one day make cards unnecessary.
Kroger stores in the Bryan/College Station, Texas area are piloting a biometric point-of-sale system that will allow customers to both pay for their groceries and collect their loyalty programme discounts without carrying a purse, wallet or cheque book.
One-time enrolment Customers can participate in the trial of SecureTouch-n-Pay by completing a one-time enrolment that captures all the personal and financial data necessary for transaction processing, including ID information, loyalty programme information, electronic payment options (i.e. cheque accounts, credit or debit accounts and electronic benefits transfer accounts) and their unique finger images. This information creates a personalised account that can be accessed by the customer during checkout or payroll cheque cashing by providing a personal ID number and a finger image that matches the one captured during the enrolment sequence.
The future of POS transactions According to Kroger's Arthur Oden: "We believe this technology may represent the future for financial transactions at the POS and we are pleased to be the first to bring this convenience and protection to our customers."
The system, Secure Touch-n-Pay, was developed by Biometric Access Corporation (BAC). Kroger has worked with BAC over more than three years; its experience in the retail environment helped shape the product. SecureTouch-n-Pay is integrated with IBM's SurePOS ACE application which is utilized by Kroger.
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