What It Takes to Go Fully Paperless for large retail chains

Many large retailers have already invested heavily in digital transformation. They operate sophisticated POS systems, run mature loyalty programs, and offer feature rich mobile apps that millions of customers use every month. Yet despite all of this, one thing stubbornly remains at the checkout: the paper receipt.

For retailers with their own loyalty app, digital receipts often already exist, but only for a subset of transactions. As soon as a customer is not identified at checkout, the printer fires up. Over time, this creates a perception that going fully paperless is unrealistic, or even impossible.

In reality, it is achievable. It just requires covering every customer journey, not only the registered ones.

The challenge: unidentified customers at checkout

Most large retailers face the same situation.

They have a strong loyalty base and an app where identified customers can access digital receipts. However, a meaningful share of in store transactions still come from customers who are not logged in, not registered, or shopping only occasionally. For these transactions, the paper receipt becomes the default fallback.

This leads to several problems:

• Ongoing costs for paper, printers, maintenance, and support

• Operational friction when printers fail or run out of paper

• A fragmented view of customers and transactions

• Missed opportunities to engage and convert infrequent shoppers

Because of this, many retailers conclude that a fully digital receipt strategy cannot work without forcing customers to identify themselves at checkout, which is rarely realistic.

Starting with the loyal customer: card linked receipts

For customers who already use the retailer’s app and loyalty program, the path to paperless is straightforward.

ReceiptHero enables retailers to embed a secure card linking form directly into their mobile app. Customers can link one or more payment cards to their profile in a simple, consent driven flow.

Once linked, every time that card is used in store, the digital receipt is automatically delivered to the app in real time. No scanning, no emails, no prompts at checkout, and most importantly, no printer needed.

From the customer’s perspective, receipts just appear where they expect them. From the retailer’s perspective, this removes paper from a large share of transactions immediately.

Covering the remaining gap: non registered and infrequent customers

The real complexity lies with customers who are not identified at checkout. This includes first time visitors, tourists, and infrequent shoppers who may never join the loyalty program.

ReceiptHero addresses this by making digital receipts available after payment, without requiring prior identification.

Depending on the retailer’s existing hardware setup, there are several options:

• Customer displays connected to the POS

  After payment, a QR code can be shown on the display. The customer scans it and instantly accesses their digital receipt on their phone.

• Android payment terminals

  If customer displays are not available, a QR code can be shown directly on the payment terminal after payment authorization.

• NFC at the checkout

  For retailers without suitable displays, ReceiptHero works with NFC hardware providers. A small, inexpensive NFC reader can be connected to the POS, allowing the customer to simply tap their phone to receive the receipt.

All of these options work without slowing down the checkout flow and without requiring staff intervention.

Turning receipts into a conversion channel

A digital receipt is often the first digital touchpoint a non registered customer has with the brand. ReceiptHero turns this moment into an opportunity. Using the receipt as the first digital communication point after the payment opens up a variety of interactions.

The receipt can include:

• Clear consent options for marketing and communications

• Smart prompts to download the retailer’s app

• Loyalty program sign up invitations

• Branded banners and messages aligned with current campaigns

For customers who were previously anonymous, this creates a natural, post purchase path into the retailer’s ecosystem. For marketing teams, it unlocks a new acquisition and conversion channel directly tied to in store spend.

One data layer for marketing and loyalty teams

Behind the scenes, ReceiptHero does more than just deliver receipts.

All consents, identifiers, and interactions collected via digital receipts are structured and pushed into the retailer’s existing loyalty, CRM, and data platforms. This gives marketing teams a far more holistic view of in store behavior, including customers who previously left no digital trace.

Instead of fragmented systems and partial visibility, retailers gain a unified view of transactions, customers, and consented communication channels.

Switching off the printers, for real

Going fully paperless is not about removing one printer at a time. It is about ensuring that every customer, identified or not, has a digital alternative that works reliably at scale.

By combining:

• Card linked receipts for loyal customers

• Post payment digital receipts for non registered shoppers

• Built in consent and conversion tools

• Seamless data integration with existing platforms

Retailers can finally reach the point where printers are no longer needed as a fallback.

The result is lower operational costs, better customer visibility, stronger engagement, and a checkout experience that is ready for a fully digital future.

Fully paperless retail is not an ambition anymore. With the right approach, it is an achievable operational reality.