Sam‘s Club Scan & Go in 2024: A Detailed Guide to the App Feature Transforming Shopping
Sam‘s Club‘s Scan & Go app feature has continued evolving into an incredibly convenient service allowing members to skip in-store checkout lines. With Scan & Go, finishing your shopping trips is now just a few phone taps away.
So how exactly does it work, and what can it help you accomplish in 2024? This comprehensive guide on Scan & Go dives into all capabilities along with analysis on its impacts for shoppers and the wider industry.
Leveraging Mobile to Enhance Brick-and-Mortar Shopping
The Scan & Go initiative represents retail giant Sam‘s Club tapping into mobile technology to improve real-world, in-location customer experiences.
With over 60 million members visiting Sam‘s Club annually, speeding up shopping journeys by removing checkout friction is a major area of focus.
Sam‘s Club parent company Walmart has shared that over 65% of transactions now utilize Scan & Go across their stores where offered. And member adoption continues accelerating based on its ease of use.
Transitioning more shoppers away from cashier lines will likely remain critical for competitive big-box chains hoping to retain the in-person customers that are vital to their business models.
How Sam‘s Club Scan & Go Works
The step-by-step Scan & Go process enables quick, seamless purchases directly through the Sam‘s app:
Download and open the Sam‘s Club app (compatible with both iOS and Android), logging in to your account.
Tap "Scan & Pay" visible on the home screen when visiting a Sam‘s Club location.
Shop as normal, scanning any items you intend to purchase using the phone‘s camera to capture barcodes.
The app automatically tallies your total cost as items are added. When finished, click "Finish Shopping" to complete payment using your saved card.
Show your digital receipt to the employee at the exit for purchase verification.
And in just those five straightforward steps, your in-store shopping is finished without waiting in a single line!
Scan & Go is built to integrate seamlessly with customers‘ existing preferences and habits. Your account, cart history, card information and more auto-populates into the app to enable frictionless future use.
What Items are Eligible for Scan & Go Purchases?
Nearly every product category carried by Sam‘s Club is fair game for Scan & Go. You can digitally scan and self checkout everything from grocery essentials, office supplies, automotive items, apparel, electronics, toys, and more.
There are only a few exceptions:
| Items Not Eligible for Scan & Pay |
|---|
| * Alcohol and tobacco (based on state regulations) |
| * Prescriptions |
| * Gift cards |
| * Photo Center |
| * Café Purchases |
Additionally, extremely large items like big screen televisions have some restrictions simply due to their size and value. But virtually anything you can fit into your cart is scanable!
Evolutions in Capabilities and What‘s Ahead
Sam‘s Club continues advancing Scan & Go‘s capabilities over time to increase convenience and use cases:
Recent Additions
- 2022: Curbside pickup integration now enables Scan & Pay for online orders
- 2021: Gas station pump payments introduced via QR codes
What‘s Next?
- Further upgrades allowing club pickups, alcohol, expanding order sizes
- Expected integration with Walmart+ membership perks
- Ongoing AI improvements to scan accuracy and lookups
Sam‘s Club is also rolling out more dedicated Scan & Go registers within stores for a hybrid assisted model. Associates provide support to customers who have already shopped and paid independently via their device.
Competitor retailers are racing to catch up by investing in their own scan and pay functionalities to retain brick-and-mortar shopper loyalty.
Key Benefits Driving Member Adoption
It‘s evident why Scan & Go is experiencing surging adoption among Sam‘s Club members:
Convenience
- Checkout made effortless from anywhere in the store
- Easy future use with saved member payment info
- Streamlined club pickups and gas station purchases
Time Savings
- Walmart reports 70% of Scan & Go purchases take less than one minute
- Eliminates checkout lines which average 15+ minutes wait time
Cost Control
- View real-time cart total prices for easy adjustments
- Built-in calculators, multi-tender options
Scan & Pay is not only simplifying essential Sam‘s Club runs, it‘s providing a blueprint for retailers striving to meld digital capabilities with improving in-location experiences.
And for loyal Sam‘s members, it translates to faster, smoother club runs that remove more shopping headaches.
Conclusion
Sam‘s Club Scan & Go eliminates checkout friction, allowing members to shop, pay, and finish Sam‘s trips directly via their mobile device. Adoption continues growing exponentially based on convenience and timesavings.
Scan & Pay also represents retail chains beginning to unlock innovation that bridges real-world stores with mobile technology.
As self-checkout offerings expand across big-box players, seamless scan options will soon simply be table stakes for large retailers hoping to retain foot traffic and loyalty.
