Digital receipts take a step forward

The delayed movement toward digital receipts is taking a step forward. The Digital Receipt Alliance and the Association for Retail Technology Standards are set to meet April 11 to review the latest standards for digital receipts and form a working committee to prepare the standards for public comment in the fall, Richard Mader, executive directors of the Association for Retail Technology Standards, tells Internet Retailer.

The movement toward setting a standard for digital receipts started in January 2000, then stalled when the Digital Receipt Alliance wanted to make enhancements to the original concept last spring. “The concept will continue to evolve, but we feel we need to get a base standard out there so we can move forward,” Mader says.

Digital receipts allow retailers to respond quickly to credit card chargeback or warranty requests because they can search through receipts electronically. Some vendors are already offering digital receipts, but they are not built on a standard platform.

Once a standard has been established, ARTS is hoping that other industries that need receipts, such as health care and banking/finance, will use the standards to build their own extensions.