Report: Stop & Shop to implement mobile shopping app

NEW YORK — About one month after launching a mobile application that syncs customers' loyalty cards to provide access to online accounts, Stop & Shop is forging ahead with new technology, according to published reports.

Three Stop & Shop stores in the Boston area on Monday will launch a software app from Modiv Media that allows customers with iPhones (iPhone 3GS or higher) to scan grocery items and add them to an electronic shopping cart, the Boston Globe reported. Modiv Media plans to offer an app that runs on Google’s Android operating system later this year.

How it works: By aiming the phone’s camera at the bar code on a product package, the customer can see the price and add it to an electronic shopping cart. Once shopping is done, the app relays the information to a checkout register, where the customer can pay with cash or a credit card. The app speeds up the checkout process by eliminating the need for a store employee to manually scan the items.

Modiv Media already offers the same service through handheld self-checkout scanners found in 350 supermarkets in the United States, including local Stop & Shop outlets.