Supermarkets are following department stores in introducing integrated circuit tags for their goods, believing that easing the payment process will make shopping more convenient for customers and help increase profits.
To help popularize IC tags among retailers, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is actively backing up IC tag testing, and in some supermarkets, the tags have already entered the practical-use stage.
For example, when a customer puts down a shopping basket containing tagged goods to be purchased at a special cash register, a clerk can see the names and prices of the items in the basket almost instantly on a display screen.