UK retail giant Sainsbury’s has hired cloud-based payments service provider Checkout.com to simplify and modernise payment infrastructure across its business.

The till-free technology is the first stage in a long-term innovation partnership, aimed at creating more digital payment technology for Sainsbury’s and improving its customer offering.

The Checkout.com-enabled SmartShop functionality will allow customers to pay for their shopping without having to visit a till. Instead, they will pay on-the-go via Sainsbury’s SmartShop app on their smartphones, saving them time and creating a more flexible shopping experience.

Underpinning the functionality will be Checkout.com’s payments platform, enabling transactions through digital wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay. This is live across Sainsbury’s scan-and-go SmartShop stores and will be rolled out to Argos and Habitat stores in the coming months.

“Our priority is providing our customers with a smooth and frictionless shopping experience,” said Helen Hunter, chief technology officer at Sainsbury’s. “We’re excited to roll out this new capability, made possible by Checkout.com’s technology, as we redefine an omnichannel checkout experience for customers with SmartShop. Our strategic partnership with Checkout.com is an important part of our plan to simplify and modernise our payments infrastructure across Sainsbury’s.”

ProcessOut, a Checkout.com product, will also act as Sainsbury’s payment orchestration platform, directing all processing across the business. Once fully implemented, this will allow Sainsbury’s to streamline its legacy systems, meaning it can see online orders in real time, permitting better data-driven decisions and insights, and more tailored offers and experiences for its customers.

Additionally, Sainsbury’s has awarded Checkout.com the Sainsbury’s Tech Ones to Watch prize at this year’s Sainsbury’s Tech Supplier Awards. The award signifies the strength of the partnership which will see the two companies run a hackathon early next year, gathering engineers from both sides to share payment expertise and tackle additional challenges for Sainsbury’s.

“Winning the business of an iconic British retailer such as Sainsbury’s is a testament to the role we play in enabling businesses to thrive in the digital economy,” said Leela Srinivasan, chief marketing officer at Checkout.com. “Our technology enables us to keep innovating with merchants to deliver new seamless checkout experiences for consumers and push the boundaries of omnichannel. It’s also humbling to be recognised by our merchant with such an award based on our service. We look forward to a successful partnership with Sainsbury’s.”

Checkout.com is based in London and has 19 offices worldwide.