Sephora to Debut Mobile Checkout in New York

Cosmetics retailer Sephora (Paris) has plans to open a 5000-square-foot store in the Meatpacking District of New York – the first in the U.S. to feature a completely mobile checkout system.

The system, which plans to be in as many as 50 stores by the end of the year, works with an internal Wi-Fi network and a scanner that looks like a handheld phone, according to Women’s Wear Daily.

“It works on touch screen and does just about all of the same things a cash wrap can do in a smaller format,” says David Suliteanu, ceo of Sephora. “It dramatically reduces the amount of floor space that we devote to that big monster cash wrap and replaces it with exciting products and services.”

The store also features custom designed modern art, double-sided glass, chrome and black fixtures with LED screens. Stations in the Beauty Art Studio feature lighting that is adjustable to six settings: daylight, moonlight, candlelight, fluorescent light, incandescent light and studio light.

The store expects to open September 16 as Sephora’s 16th location in Manhattan and 293rd in the U.S.