CVS is testing a new feature that is designed to allow iPhone and Android users to unlock product cabinets to retrieve an item without the need to summon an employee, reports The Wall Street Journal (via The Verge).
Many stores like CVS use locked cabinets for items that are often shoplifted, cutting down on retail theft. Locking items up, though, inconveniences shoppers because an employee has to be summoned to retrieve items for customers. CVS Health’s chief technology officer Tilak Mandadi told The Wall Street Journal that people “really, really dislike locked cabinets,” which is why the chain is testing a new procedure.
CVS shoppers who have the CVS app (with CVS account), activate Bluetooth, and connect to in-store Wi-Fi can unlock locked product cabinets with an iPhone.
CVS is testing the smartphone-based product unlocking in three of its retail locations, but it will soon be expanded to 10 to 15 stores. If the trial is successful, CVS plans to roll it out to all retail locations.
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