Three more Co-op supermarkets will be kitted out with Pay by Touch, a pioneering new way to pay for your groceries with a simple index finger scan. The system is already in place at three Co-op stores in the Oxfordshire area, and following a seemingly succesful trial, is spreading outwards.

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.

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.

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