Shoppers in Moscow will soon be able to 'pay-with-a-glance' at over 200 outlets of Russian supermarket chain X5, thanks to a joint initiative with Sberbank and Visa.
Developed by X5 in conjunction with Visa, customers can select the Pay with a Glance option in the cards or profile sections of the Sberbank Online mobile app and specify the card to be used for payment.
Igor Shekhterman, CEO, X5 Retail Group, says: "You don’t need cash, bank cards, or smartphones to use the service - all you need to do is ‘present’ your face and the payment will be posted. I’m convinced that contactless biometric payment solutions will very soon be used universally, and this payment method will become as customary as paying with a bank card or a smartphone."
Currently available at self-checkout lanes in 52 X5-owned Perekrestok supermarkets, the new payment method is scheduled to become available at 150 outlers by the end of March, while in April several Pyaterochka proximity stores in Moscow are following suit.
Kirill Tsaryov, Sberbank's head of retail business, says: "We believe that facial payments will soon become one of the most popular ways of shopping in supermarkets, even after the pandemic. Our research confirms that this type of biometric identification is gaining traction in Russia, with 70% customers planning to rely on face payments going forward."