IBM has launched retail technology that allows consumers to scan items into their mobile phones while shopping and then check themselves out at an IBM self-checkout station.

Designed to help retailers provide a more customized in-store shopping experience for smart phone shoppers, the IBM Mobile Shopper application incorporates Honeywell mobile scanning technology capable of scanning virtually any bar code, no matter what background it is printed on, the direction it faces or the packaging covering it, according to a company press release. The solution currently runs on the Google Android and Apple iOS operating systems, is highly reliable and offers sub-second response time, John Gaydac, vice president, IBM Retail Store Solutions, said in the release.

"Retailers can now deliver a more personalized shopping experience that is less of a chore and more of a convenience for consumers," he said. "By enabling consumers to scan and check-out a wide variety of products at their own pace, retailers can not only create a more customized shopping environment, but also increase in-store traffic."

According to a recent IBM Institute of Business Value study, self-checkout is the preferred way to shop for most consumers today, and they are very specific about the way they want to use mobile technology while shopping. More than 50 percent say they want to use a mobile device to scan while shopping, and to do final checkout at a self-checkout station. More than 40 percent want to scan samples and retrieve shopping items for pickup, or have the items delivered directly to their homes.

The new mobile phone application is powered by IBM ACE software, Store Integrator software and the newest release of IBM Self-Checkout software, which provides shoppers the same access to digital coupons, loyalty programs and special promotions at self-checkout stations that are traditionally available at fully staffed point-of-sale checkout lanes.

Read more about self-checkout.