The end of receipts for a few tens of centimetres? How digital proof of purchase is changing commerce

Shopping more and more often starts in one channel and ends in another. A consumer can search for a product online, buy it in a brick-and-mortar store, and then return to the transaction from the app. 65% of consumers buy the same brands both online and in brick-and-mortar stores¹. In this model, the purchase process matters, but so does easy access to confirmation. One solution is an e-receipt.

In the traditional model, a receipt is not only a confirmation of purchase. Promotional messages, information about loyalty programs or vouchers also often appear on the printout. As a result, the receipt can reach several tens of centimetres in length, and with the growing amount of additional content, it is more difficult to break through to the customer with it – especially since a paper document often ends up in the trash quickly after purchase. An e-receipt gives retailers a chance to ensure that messages accompanying the transaction reach the recipient through digital channels and remain available even after the customer leaves the store.

Digitization is changing this pattern. An e-receipt lets you transfer proof of purchase directly into the digital environment. Thanks to this, the transaction confirmation does not have to be a separate, easy-to-lose document, but can become part of the purchase history – available when the customer needs it, e.g. when returning, complaining or verifying an earlier purchase.
In Poland, e-receipts can be issued for several years and serve as full proof of purchase and payment, on a par with a paper printout.

“The e-receipt changes the moment when the transaction ends. With a paper document, the customer receives a confirmation and must store it themselves. In the digital model, the proof of purchase can remain available in the environment the customer uses daily. This opens up the possibility of connecting it with the purchase history, loyalty program or return process – and this is where we see the greatest value of this technology today” – says Michał Sosnowski, Business Development Director at Exorigo-Upos.

This approach fits well with the development of omnichannel sales. If a customer uses one brand both online and in a brick-and-mortar store, they increasingly expect the post-purchase service to be similarly consistent. An e-receipt can be one of the elements of such an experience – regardless of where the transaction took place.

For the retailer, however, this means a change not only on the customer’s side, but also in the technological background. For an e-receipt to be truly useful in the omnichannel model, it must integrate with cash and sales systems and, depending on the solution adopted, also with a mobile application, loyalty program, or returns and complaint-handling systems. It is also important to properly link the type of transaction with the right way of documenting sales. Depending on whether the customer makes a purchase as a consumer or a company, as well as on the obligations related to a given transaction, the system can direct the order to the appropriate path – e.g. to issue an e-receipt or an invoice. Customer identification, data security and information consistency between channels also become important.

„From the retailer’s perspective, the e-receipt is not just a change in document format. The biggest challenge is integrating it into existing processes so the customer does not feel a difference between online and in-store purchases, or between a paper and electronic document. Therefore, when implementing, you need to think not only about the issuance of the document itself, but also about the entire process after the transaction – from saving it and finding it by the customer to using it when returning or complaining” – comments Michał Sosnowski.

Digital document circulation also has a practical dimension for large retail chains. Fewer printed receipts mean less thermal paper consumption, and with thousands of stores and millions of transactions, the scale of this change can be significant. This also applies to printouts containing additional marketing content, which, in a digital environment, can be provided to the customer in a different form without the limitations on how much content can fit on a paper printout, while still maintaining the content required by law for the e-receipt.

As a result, the e-receipt is less a digital version of a paper printout and more an element of a changing customer service model. For the consumer, it means easier access to purchase history and documents; for the retailer, it also means further stages of transaction handling, integration of sales channels, and purchase information management.

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