NEWS
Three more Co-ops are to be kitted out with equipment that will allow shoppers to pay using their index fingerprint after the supermarket chain decided to extend a trial of Pay by Touch technology.
The biometric payment system is already being trialled in three Co-ops around the Oxfordshire area by the Mid Counties Co-operative.
The pilot was initially slated to last 16 weeks but the society has decided to extend the timeframe for the first three stores and roll out the technology to an additional three stores to see what different demographics think of the technology.
A Mid Counties Co-op spokesman told silicon.com the society has extended the trial to get a better insight into customer opinions. "We were very pleased with the trial but we decided we needed more knowledge under our belts," he said.
Registered shoppers have their fingerprint linked with credit card or debit card information and verify payment by pressing their digit against a reader. According to the Co-op, using Pay by Touch is 20 per cent quicker than using chip and PIN.
Want more on biometrics?
Co-ops aren't the only place that biometrics are being used. Read silicon.com's A to Z of biometrics to find out more about iris scans, palm prints and ID cards.
Recent research by the society found that of the 1,000 shoppers questioned, half had already signed up to the scheme or planned to do so soon. Co-op's spokesman said: "It's been received well by elderly people - they like the idea of going out without having to carry a bag with a purse in it."
The Co-op has not given figures for how long the next phase of the trial will last or how many people have signed up to the scheme. The spokesman said: "We've had good feedback and good sign-up. We're happy with the way it's going."
The three stores will be situated in the Forest of Dean, Highworth and Swindon.
Comments
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1. anonymous
"It's been received well by elderly people - they like the idea of going out without having to carry a bag with a purse in it."
Or is it that they beleive the hype that fingerprints are unique and cannot be spoofed.
I would love to see that small print for the contracts people agree to when signing up to this service, just to see with whom the liability lies come the day someone spoofs a fingerprint.
2. anonymous
Good on the Co-op.
""I would love to see that small print for the contracts people agree to when signing up to this service, just to see with whom the liability lies come the day someone spoofs a fingerprint.""
Chances of this happening should be almost nil, as the system obviously operates in a controlled environment.
It is certainly an awful lot better than using PIN's - Disputed transactions where PINs are used are increasing expotentially. According to the press recently, It is now extremely difficult for customers to prove their innocence unless their case corresponds with patterns already recognised by the banks.
The Co-op aren't the first to use Biometrics to protect themselves from Card Fraud. - Google - Thumbprint request angers shopper
Little did the shopper realise that this retailer was protecting her.