Reuters is reporting that Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has been looking at ways to speed checkout times by integrating mobile devices into self-checkout. Not much is known about the tests Walmart ran involving mobile devices, but Reuters said iPhone-toting employees were asked to test a new "Scan & Go" shopping application at a Rogers, Ark., supercenter nears the company's Bentonville, Ark. headquarters.

The application reportedly lets shoppers scan items with their iPhones and then transfer the information to a self-service checkout station, thus eliminating both wait times and the need to scan items at the register.

Walmart has been looking at ways to bring mobile payments to its nearly 9,000 stores. Most recently it announced it was a part of an effort by a consortium of large retailers to create a mobile payment application to compete with Google Wallet and Isis.

While the particulars of the "Scan & Go" test remain unknown, it's no mystery why Walmart, as the world's largest retailer, would be exploring how to use mobile technology to speed the checkout process. Mike Cook, Walmart's assistant treasurer and the man who runs the company's massive payment efforts, recently stated in an interview that every second added to the company's checkout process increases Walmart's labor costs by a whopping $12 million.

For more stories like this, visit the Retail research center.