On 1 January 2023, in France, it will be prohibited to automatically print receipts in shops, after a purchase. To combat paper waste, some retailers already offer their customers the option to receive their receipt by email or SMS. How to seize the opportunities related to paperless receipts ? Are consumers willing to do without these receipts ?
In application of the so-called « anti-waste » law, which was passed on 10 February 2020, the days of the traditional receipt are numbered. From 1 January 2023, retailers will be prohibited from automatically printing these receipts. Receipts, often accompanied by promotional vouchers, will only be printed at the customer's express request. Their printing will remain mandatory for the purchase of durable goods (household appliances, phone solutions, IT, etc.), because the paper receipt specifies the date of entry into force of the guarantee. This is also the case when cancelling a bank card operation, or receiving a credit.
This measure aims to reduce paper waste. In France, 30 billion receipts and bank card invoices are printed each year. On average, a supermarket uses about 750 km of paper for its receipts, compared to 30 km for a tobacconist and 6 km for a bakery. It also makes it possible to put an end to a step that is often pointless. « Many are thrown away immediately, especially when it comes to restaurant purchases or small grocery transactions, » explains Carrefour. And some customers do not even request it (40 % at Système U, for example).
Yet, with an unprecedented level of inflation in France (+6.6 % in August 2022 according to Eurostat), consumers are watching their budget closely. Consulted within the National Consumer Council, consumer associations denounced a project that « results in depriving [them] of a real choice and therefore of their rights ». According to the latter, taking away this symbol, this tool for managing families' budgets, and changing habits involves taking certain precautions. To ensure a smooth transition, information systems and payment terminals must be adapted and information campaigns must be planned.
In Europe, the level of development of this subject varies from country to country. While Denmark is very advanced when it comes to « digital receipts », Germany reinforced, on 1 January 2020, the obligation to provide a receipt for small purchases. In the United Kingdom, 30 million paper receipts are printed every day, which generates more than 28,000 tonnes of CO2 per year and costs distributors more than £200 million. In order to reduce paper waste, several retail organisations (British Retail Consortium, British Independent Retailers Association, Association of Convenience Stores) have signed the #BeatTheReceipt petition. Nevertheless, 51 % of Britons would like to have the opportunity to refuse a paper receipt. The use of paperless receipts is becoming widespread, with players such as Flux : this platform allows consumers to consult their digital receipts and the associated commercial offers (loyalty points, private balances, etc.) granted by players such as H&M, KFC, Just Eat, etc.
The steps to take
Anticipating change. In France, 10 % of retailers (Twilio/Opinea study of March 2022) anticipated the entry into force of the regulations. This is the case of Système U, Carrefour and Decathlon. From a technical point of view, this transition from automatic printing to the possibility of sending a digitised receipt (which can be found on the brand's website, on its app, on its loyalty card, or received by email or SMS) dœs not entail any particular difficulties. This involves reviewing the computer management and the configuration of the equipment in store (EPT). At the independent group Système U ( €23 billion in turnover in 2021), « We did not encounter any major problems », says the spokesperson Thierry Desouches. For independent shops, however, it is better to provide and acquire software to send receipts via a digital, SMS or email channel.
Adapted communication. The communication component must not be neglected (display at the entrance to the shop, at the till, etc.). In the 1,670 shops under the U brand, the cashiers were trained. Since April 2022, they have been asking customers whether or not they want to leave with a physical receipt. Customers holding the U card are offered the option to receive it by email. « This happens without any major problems, knowing that it is an option and not imposed », underlines Thierry Desouches. « If we look, for example, at the case of levies on plastic bags at the till, today there is no longer any debate. We believe that the same will apply to receipts ».
At Carrefour, cashiers also made customers aware of this new anti-waste approach, specifying that their receipt was available online on the Carrefour.fr website or in their app. At the end of November 2022, a new step will be taken. « The cashier will tell customers that the receipt will no longer be printed, but that they can still receive it on request, » says a spokesperson for the group. Carrefour will continue to automatically provide paper receipts in the event of the purchase of durable goods (in accordance with the regulations) and for purchases amounting to greater than €500.
As for the consumers that still prefer to have their paper receipt (survey of March 2020 by OpinionWay for the Groupement d’Entreprises de Transformation de Papier [Group of Paper Processing Companies]), the advantages of the paperless receipt should be highlighted. By transmitting their personal data to receive their receipts by email or SMS, they fear being exposed to promotional spam or having their banking information misappropriated. In addition, consumers who do not have access to the Internet fear that they will not be able to obtain this proof of purchase, which is essential in the event of return, exchange or refund.
Exploiting opportunities. For customers, digitisation offers many advantages. In addition to reducing waste, it is clear that the digital receipt can be kept for longer. It is not affected by the risk of being lost or fading over time. The digital receipt can be transmitted more easily via the Internet or WhatsApp in the event of a return or refund. Finally, on the retailer side, it opens up the possibility of sending, in addition, personalised promotional offers provided that the customer is part of the customer file of the brand and has given his/her consent to their data's use by the brand, in accordance with the GDPR.
In January 2023, a new sequence will therefore open. For consumers, but also for the actors of the payment value chain (which gœs from the issue of the receipt, to the sending and obtaining of the receipt and its transport). What changes can be expected for the latter ? In May 2021, the Payment Association, which brings together 60 players in the French payment services ecosystem (processing centres, terminal and software manufacturers, cash register software publishers, payment aggregators, Fintechs, etc.), published a White Paper on the digitisation of receipts, produced with Orange Labs, which provides answers.
After highlighting the benefits of digitisation for brands (« new customer relations thanks to digitised coupons and simplified customer retention »), it called for the implementation of an interoperable and scalable architecture that would allow, in particular to new players, « receipt operators » to emerge. Based, for example, on the model of the eReceipt (a digital receipt, structured and standardised so as to be interpretable by all the actors of the chain) in Finland. The international organisation GS1, working to standardise the coding methods used in the supply chain, has also launched a pilot around the semantics of the digitised receipt. What role will GAFA (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon), banks, and, in general, all the actors of this payment chain play in this new stage of digitisation ? This is the economic challenge behind the implementation of this regulation on 1 January.