This week, the first ever cashierless store opened in the UK: a Sainsbury’s Local supermarket that is experimenting with using the brand’s Scan, Pay & Go smartphone technology instead of tills and cashiers.

This is one of the many innovations that have led some experts to speculate that the UK – along with other regions of the world like Eastern Europe and South-East Asia – is rapidly heading towards a cashless economy.

While we are still a long way from seeing the first cashless societies emerge – if they even do – it is true that contactless payment technologies like mobile payment are seeing increasing adoption all over the world, as brands find innovative ways to allow their customers to book, pay and check out with more convenience.

When delivered effectively, these alternative payment methods have the ability to change the offline user experience as well as online, as they radically transform the way we carry out everyday tasks like paying for groceries, buying petrol or gas, eating at restaurants and more.

Here are six areas in which mobile payment is transforming the offline user experience.