We've written several times about the promotional and consumer loyalty possibilities of contactless card technology, which would replace credit-card-style magnetic stripes with radio frequency ID (RFID) chips that can be read from several inches away, but there's another possibility.

After a successful, six-month trial run, Charleston, S.C.–based supermarket chain Piggly Wiggly is rolling out a new payment system to all of its 120 stores in South Carolina and Georgia, enabling customers to buy groceries using just a fingerprint.

A biometric finger scanner, similar to those used by the Transportation Security Administration to fingerprint all foreign nationals who fly into the country, allows registered Piggly Wiggly customers to link a fingerprint to a checking or credit account. The system is provided by Pay By Touch, a San Francisco-based biometric identification specialist.

"We found that our guests loved paying for their groceries with a quick finger scan," says Rich Farrell, the company's vice president of information services. He cites the convenience and speed of avoiding the need to take out a wallet altogether, and adds: "
We found that frequent Pay By Touch users saw Piggly Wiggly as more dedicated to providing better customer service."

Participants enroll at a kiosk in any participating Pay By Touch store, including Cub Foods in Minneapolis-St. Paul, and create an electronic account. Pay By Touch plans to roll out its service at several other national retail chains later this year.

Privacy advocates, who aren't too keen on using biometric information in security applications like passports and border control will howl, but the speed at the register and access to trackable customer information will interest retailers.
This page is protected by Copyright laws. Do Not Copy