Brilliant idea in a corona crisis: How an app should help with payment at Lidl - also in Germany

In Germany, it will soon be possible to pay via app in Lidl branches. The discounter announced that. The app has already been tested in Spain. 

• In Deutschl and Lidl announces a technical advance
  
• Soon there will a payment function in Germany by app give
  
• The function may be in demand during the corona pandemic *
  

Kassel - The discounter Lidl holds out the  prospect of a new payment for its branches in Germany . Especially during the current corona pandemic, a new form of contactless payment could be well received by customers. The Lidl chain is with Lidl pay a payment function via App prospect.

Lidl Germany: Payment function should be integrated in the app

Since the beginning of April, payment via app has been possible in Lidl branches in Poland. Here , unlike in Germany to date, Lidl customers can  pay for their purchases using the “ Lidl Plus” app . This function has already been tested in Spain, soon it will be so far in Germany .

The app , which has been downloaded over 10 million times from the Google Play store, can already be used in Germany , but not for payment. So far, Lidl customers in Germany have  only been able to use the app to take part in discount campaigns , view brochures and receive digital receipts.

#Lidl presents @AnkeRehlinger a digital customer counting system in a Saarland Lidl branch in view of #COVID ー 19. #Lidlde tests the technical access control to ensure a safe distance. https://t.co/XAqUZbstDv pic.twitter.com/qCKkAqO8Ql

Lidl Germany: This is how payment via app should work

Lidl Germany told Watson that the app could be used to pay with a QR code. This is generated by the app itself. At the Lidl checkout, all you have to do is drag the code over the scanner.

The amount to be paid is then settled using a payment method stored in the app . Which variants will be possible here in Germany is not yet known. Only payment using credit cards stored in the app has so far been secure.

Germany: With some Lidl competitors there is already a payment function via app in Germany

In Germany , payment via app is already possible via the third-party provider PayBack , but not with Lidl . But with the discounter competition Rewe and Penny, payment in Germany is possible via the PayBack app .

In addition to the same system that Lidl intends to introduce in Germany , this also offers payment via NFC. However, this function requires an Android device. The function of the app is currently only available from Rewe *, Penny and Aral in Germany .

The messenger service WhatsApp is also working on a payment function in its app *. This function should not, however, enable payment at the supermarket checkout. Facebook founder and WhatsApp owner Mark Zuckerburg wants to compete with PayPal.

Lidl Germany: Market expansion causes protest among the population

A Lidl branch in Wehlheiden caused a stir at the beginning of last year *. The market in Kassel wanted to double its market size in the coal road. There was protest against this, people asked the Lidl chain to build apartments there.

A new Lidl Germany branch opened in Fritzlar in the middle of the corona crisis *. It was a matter of keeping your distance instead of mass rush. The management of the market had imagined it differently. In the spirit of the crisis, toilet paper was in high demand on this first day.

Video: Contactless payment is not only practical, but also often dangerous

* hna.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network.