One day, there’ll be no more till receipts

First invoices, now it’s till receipts. Digitalisation is sweeping across Europe and the rest of the world. Several draft laws have come into force to phase them out progressively, most notably in California in the US and in France.

What if the end of till receipts was not just a good thing for the environment and our health, but also for customer relations?

In France alone, more than 12 billion till receipts are printed each year… and almost immediately discarded or forgotten at the bottom of a wallet. Countries are increasingly enacting regulations aimed at reducing or eliminating them completely. At the same time, purchasing apps are being developed that enable receipts to be received electronically and which also promote knowledge and therefore benefit the customer relationship.

About 750 km

That is the annual amount, converted into distance, of rolls of till receipt consumed in a single French hypermarket. In the United States alone these little receipts are responsible for the felling of 10 million trees, 95 billion litres of water and 311,000 tonnes of rubbish. That’s a lot for an item that is barely given a glance and people are less and less interested in. And what’s more, they’re made with bisphenol A and including toxic endocrine disrupters. Are we saying good-bye to till receipts?

Receipts are being gradually phased out

In California, the draft law “Skip the Slip” should come into force in 2022. In France the plan is to make them non-compulsory by 1st September 2020 for purchases under €10. The law will then be extended to purchases under €20 from 2021 and under €30 from 2022. Of course, the consumer can always ask for a receipt if they would like and if they don’t want to go digital. 

Less receipts = increased loyalty?

This could be the winning transaction for retailers. If the consumer wants his receipt, he must provide the retailer with his email address as a bare minimum. This can then be used together with payment and purchase data to push more personalised special offers and reinforce the customer relationship. 

It’s an approach that explains the proliferation of proprietary shopping apps, such as those offered by some hypermarkets or other independents, like FLUX, which enable you to pay, manage transaction history and obtain rewards or discounts. So, till receipts are coming to an end but perhaps we will all have something to gain!

The Main Think

In France alone, more than 12 billion till receipts are printed each year… and almost immediately discarded or forgotten at the bottom of a wallet. Countries are increasingly enacting regulations aimed at reducing or eliminating them completely. At the same time, purchasing apps are being developed that enable receipts to be received electronically and which also promote knowledge and therefore benefit the customer relationship.