Kmart staff can now process payments from anywhere in the store, expediting the payments process and reducing queues around check-out counters, thanks to a new partnership with Australian technology provider, Quest Payment Systems (Quest).

With Kmart’s point-of-sale (POS) development partner, Quest has launched an innovative payments solution, FlexiPOS. The mobile payments solution is the first of its kind to be used by a large Australian retailer and works using the Bluetooth capability of an Android device and pairing it with Quest’s contactless reader.

The Quest reader integrates with Kmart’s Android based mobile POS, giving staff flexibility to scan items and take payment s from anywhere in the store. Following the success of the initial trial, Kmart plans to expand the mobile payment solution across its store network.

In the lead up to Christmas around 1,000 of the devices were deployed across 230 Kmart stores in Australia, processing around 100,000 transactions during December.

Quest CEO Jan Mason expects demand for new technologies that facilitate a safer and more convenient payments process for customers to surge.

“The pandemic has influenced the way consumers are choosing to pay and how many businesses are operating in response, and the move away from cash toward contactless payment options shows no signs of slowing down,” she said.

“Following what was a particularly challenging 2020 for Australian retailers, it’s great to see consumer confidence and retail spending make such a comeback in recent months. The new mobile payment solutions have allowed the Kmart team to manage their busiest trading periods exceptionally well and feedback from Kmart customers has been overwhelmingly positive.”

Kmart Australia head of technology, Naresh Teckchandani, said, “Providing our customers with a fast and convenient method to pay for their items is important. The introduction of FlexiPOS in time for the busy Christmas and Easter periods, and during the uncertain times of Covid, has given stores the flexibility to be able to serve customers quickly and reduce queues in store.”