Dive Brief:
- Publix will discontinue Publix Pay, a contactless in-app payment method, on March 19, a company spokesperson said in an email Tuesday.
- With Publix Pay, customers using the Publix app could store payment methods such as debit cards, credit cards and gift cards, and then scan an in-store QR code to check out using the PIN-protected payment tool.
- The end of Publix Pay comes at a time when grocers are reevaluating their frictionless checkout opportunities.
Dive Insight:
While Publix did not explain why it decided to pull the plug on its contactless checkout option, the grocer indicated that it remains focused on providing customers with tools that streamline the shopping and checkout experiences.
“This change allows us to focus on enhancing and expanding other features that provide value and convenience for our customers,” Maria Brous, a Publix spokesperson, wrote in the email.
Publix Pay allowed customers to automatically redeem digital coupons they had clipped and to receive e-receipts.
Publix shared plans about rolling out mobile pay through its own app on Apple devices in 2019.
Customers can still pay using gift cards stored in their virtual wallets as well as use other contactless pay options such as Apple Pay and Google Pay on their mobile devices at store registers, Brous said. Publix has offered contactless pay options chainwide since 2020.
Other grocers such as Kroger and Walmart have similar touch-free payment options for app users. In 2022, Wegmans discontinued its scan-and-go service because of “losses” from the program.
