A Nestle grocery store in Spain has implemented a face payment system developed by CaixaBank and the bank's Payment Innovation Hub alliance, comprising partner institutions Global Payments, Visa, Samsung and Arval.
The Face to Pay Nestle Market application is available for download from the Google Play and Apple's app store. Users are required to register their personal details, card and facial image before making their first purchase at a dedicated checkout lane equipped with a tablet featuring a camera and internet connection.
The system will be tested in the wild for three months in order to analyse how well the technology works in periods of high demand, such as the Christmas season.
The Nestle implementation follows a similar project with restaurant chain Vienna at one of its outlets in Barcelona.
CaixaBank views facial recognition as a coming wave in the trend for 'invisible payments'. The bank has already rolled out the biometric authentication method for making cash withdrawals at ATMs located at branches in Barcelona and Valencia.