X5 and Sber launched a payment service using a smile

X5 Group and Sber launched an innovative service of payment with a smile at 15,000 self-service checkouts installed in 4,100 stores of the Pyatyorochka and Perekryostok retail chains. The project was implemented on the basis of developments by the Innovation Laboratory of X5 and Sber.The system works on the basis of domestic software and X5’s own Russian-built cash desks.

An innovative payment service with a smile has been launched.

Paying with a smile takes a few seconds, which is comparable in speed to a regular transaction with a bank card. You don’t need to have your bank card or cell phone handy to pay. To activate the new payment method in the Sberbank Online application, you need to activate the face recognition service in your profile, select a payment card and create a security code. Or you can even make it easier by telling the Sberbank Online virtual assistant: “Pay with a smile.

At self-service checkout counters installed in X5 stores, after scanning goods, you need to select the service   “Pay with a smile” and look into the camera. 

“In 2021, at the pilot stage, we promised that biometrics would become a standard feature and should be implemented across Russia. Today, paying with a smile has become available to millions of our customers who come to Pyatyorochka or Perekryostok every day. We believe that technology can change the consumer experience, making shopping more comfortable, convenient and faster. Scaling the smile payment service to all regions of X5, in thousands of stores makes andinnovative discoveries a norm of our everyday life, changes the store space for the better and brings additional joy from shopping. Our solution remains unique in terms of scale and quality of service operation – not only in Russia, but also in the world“, — commented Ekaterina Lobacheva, President X5 Group.

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X5 and Sber launched a pilot of payment with biometric identification in March 2021 in the Perekryostok retail chain. Since then, the service has acquired regular users, with the number of transactions per week exceeding several thousand. The project involves only self-service cash desks of X5’s own design, which allowed the technology to be scaled to all regions where the company operates. The basic assembly of the device uses a 3D camera with high recognition accuracy and depth capture, which makes it possible to easily and quickly read facial features, taking into account a person’s height and changes in appearance. The degree of resolution of the camera allows for a high level of security. Payment is fast and comfortable for the buyer. Today the service is available in 650 Perekryostok supermarkets and 3,450 Pyatyorochka stores.