Stores Offer Paperless Receipts

Some brick-and-mortar retailers give customers the option of having their receipts e-mailed.

March 21, 2011

AUSTIN, Texas - Brick-and-mortar retailers are offering consumers another way to support the environment while they shop with paperless receipts, the Boston Herald reports. By providing an email address, customers can opt to have their store receipts e-mailed to them.

"It??s all about finding ways to be more environmentally friendly and making it more convenient for shoppers," said Liz Burkhhart, a spokeswoman for Whole Foods. The grocery story chain is testing paperless receipts in the mid-Atlantic area before considering implementation nationwide.

Urban Outfitters, Nordstrom, Anthropologie and Apple already have paperless receipt options. Best Buy and the Container Store also are running a pilot program with Intuit.

"It??s the next big thing in retail," said Richard Mader, executive director of the Association for Retail Technology Standards. "In five years, up to 60 percent of retailers will go paperless."

In March, Nordstrom went paperless in all locations. "Customers told us that a digital receipt would be an additional convenience to the transaction," said spokesman Colin Johnson. "Shoppers are using mobile devices much more and we??re trying to evolve with them. This is just one way to improve service and better reflect the store experience that customers expect."

Apple embraced paperless receipts first, offering the option starting in 2005, but it??s taken a while for the idea to grow past one retailer. One of the reasons more retailers are investigating paperless receipts is the increasing interest in paying by smartphones. "Consumers won??t want to go cardless, but get back a paper receipt," said Mader.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement