Standard for electronic receipts developed

IT&Telecom companies, together with the Swedish Trade Federation, the Swedish Tax Agency and suppliers of cash registers, payment terminals and electronic receipts, have developed a uniform standard for transferring receipt information digitally.

The unified standard will allow both retailers and customers to manage receipt information in a simpler way. At the same time, it saves the environment, as today's 1.7 billion printed receipts correspond to around 60,000 trees.

- It was clear that the reason why not more people took advantage of the possibility of digital receipts was the lack of a uniform standard for how digital receipts are transmitted. Now, all parties involved have developed the missing standard and we immediately see that merchants are actively working to use digital receipts instead of paper receipts. This not only reduces the environmental impact, but also saves time for companies as the administration of receipts is greatly simplified," says Nils Weidstam from IT&Telekomföretagen.

The benefits of digital receipts are many. Customers will find it easier to both save and find receipts. The increased availability of digital mailboxes facilitates use. Since digital receipts are approved as a basis for accounting, it frees up time for companies and reduces the use of paper while benefiting the environment.

- It is excellent that a Swedish standard has been jointly developed by the industry. It makes it easier for merchants to decide whether to invest in digital receipts. Interest in digital receipts is continuously increasing from both consumers and retailers. We see this as a good starting point for a digital future," says Bengt Nilervall from Svensk Handel.

The standard was finalized in February 2018 and is now available for implementation in cash registers. Click here to download the new standard.

The standard relates only to receipt data transmission formats and not to storage and access solutions.