Tesco launch virtual supermarket at Gatwick airport

Tesco have launched a new supermarket shopping experience at Gatwick Airport, where shoppers can scan items before their flight, ready for a delivery when they return to home turf.

The North Terminal at Gatwick airport now has ten terminals featuring a range of Tesco’s most popular items to browse. When shoppers find an item they like, they can add it to an online order by scanning it with the Tesco iPhone and Android apps. You’ll then have a delivery of fresh food ready for you when you return home, jetlagged and loaded down with suitcases.

The first scheme of its kind in the UK, Tesco are trying out a two week trial of the service, following a successful trial in the company’s South Korean market.

“Our business in Korea is teaching us a lot about how customers and technology are transforming shopping,” said Tesco’s Internet Retailing Director, Ken Towle.

“It gives us a unique window into the future and the chance to try out exciting new concepts. The virtual store blends clicks and bricks, bringing together our love of browsing with the convenience of online. It’s a chance to showcase what we can do to the 30,000 people a day who will depart from Gatwick’s North Terminal, many of whom will have a genuine need to fill their fridges when they get home, and we’re looking forward to hearing what they think.”

One in seven of Tesco’s online orders now come from smartphones.