The end of the roll for shopping receipts?

Shoppers could have their receipts emailed to them instead of printed. Photo / Thinkstock

They clutter up pockets and fill up purses, yet can never be found when you need to get a refund.

Now experts predict the paper receipt has almost reached the end of the roll - and will soon be replaced by emails.

Major retailers in the UK including Tesco are looking into setting up a paperless receipts system, similar to one already used by technology giant Apple in its stores.

Under the proposals, shoppers would have their purchase confirmations emailed to them instead of printed.

Former Tesco chief executive Lord MacLaurin, who has invested in a firm called Paperless Receipts, said: "Why, when most transactions are recorded digitally, are retailers still printing on paper?"

"They are environmentally damaging and onerous for the consumer to store safely."

The company has raised £500,000 from private investors, is backed by computing firm IBM and is in talks with major retailers including Tesco. Managing director Andrew Carroll said: "Within five years, 60 to 70 per cent of retailers will offer e-receipts in the UK."

The system designed by Paperless Receipts differs from the one used by Apple in that the electronic receipt is emailed to a dedicated web address - which the customer can access - rather than the shopper's general email inbox.

Mr Carroll said: "When receipts are emailed to you, your email inbox gets cluttered up with receipts instead of your pockets. What we offer is a centralised repository for all receipts."

He added that he believed younger consumers, who are already comfortable with making payments using electronic devices such as mobile phones, will be first to adopt the trend.

"Difficult to store safely"

- Daily Mail