eBay to open London 'scanning' shop for Christmas

The temporary shop version of the online auction website will only be open for 5 days in Soho's bustling Dean Street.

Products in the shop will be accompanied by QR codes - which have become increasingly popular in recent years with the rise in popularity of smartphones. They've been used extensively in poster advertising for films, music festivals and consumer products - the code effectively redirects the user to a website once a photo of the QR code has been taken.

The eBay shop will have no tills, and shoppers won't even be able to take the goods they purchase away with them. Instead, the item scanned will be paid for through scanning the code, then gets delivered in time for Christmas.

Even those without smartphones will be able to join in the scanning fun, with temporary loans of HTC phones.

Shopping with QR code scanning is just starting to take off around the world. Tesco have initiated grocery shopping for commuters in South Korea who can scan posters at train stations to order food for home delivery.

Could this be the future of real-life shopping?

The shop opens from Thursday December 1st until Monday the 5th.

Main image - eBay HQ, San Jose, California (Getty)

Check out this video of shopping on the go for commuters in South Korea