Paper receipts poses many challenges to the environment and public health. For instance, receipts:
Consume over
3.6 million trees
&
10 billion gallons of water
annually in the U.S[1].
Produce emissions equal
21,000 cars
every year in Australia[2].
Use BPA, a chemical linked to diabetes and obesity, which
90% of Canadians
are exposed to daily[3].
With global retail sales projected to reach $32.8 trillion USD by 2026, and around 30-40% of all online purchases being returned, the sector's immense scale, activity, and impact are evident[4], [5].
This case study explores the digitalization of receipts via TD MySpend app integration as a solution to reduce paper waste, streamline record-keeping, and enhance the overall consumer experience.
My initial idea for digitalization was a standalone app. But first, I wanted to analyze the current landscape of digital receipt products.
User readiness
86% of Americans want digital receipts for eco-friendliness and easier organization, while 55% of Canadians prefer them for their greener approach[1],[6].
Paint points
Environmental & regulatory push
EU countries are reducing paper receipt use for sustainability (e.g., France ended automatic receipt printing in August 2023)[7].
To deepen my understanding of receipt management behaviours and attitudes towards digital solutions, I conducted two informal surveys and follow-up interviews with 10 participants (ages 20–55). This qualitative data was crucial, especially considering advanced solutions like Sensibill's AI financial categorization.
Relevant findings:
From these results I gathered that:
1. App fatigue impacts productivity. Embedding digital receipts into a well-known banking app simplifies user adoption.
Three Fortune 500 companies learned that employees' focus and efficiency are disrupted when they spend a large amount of time switching between applications and websites[8].
2. Leveraging established privacy infrastructure is key. TD MySpend’s security infrastructure ensures sensitive financial data handling, boosting user trust and adoption.
Statistics Canada reported that banks accounted for the most cybersecurity incidents in 2017 at 47%, but, they were also more likely to implement security requirements[9].
3. Making real impact on environmental stewardship is also key. Through a reliable and high-use app like TD MySpend, I want to encourage and amplify more eco-conscious financial habits right at the POS.
Global email use produces CO₂ emissions equivalent to 63 million cars every year, highlighting the effects of e-receipts [6].
As a longtime customer of TD and its status as a well-established app from one of the “Big Five” Canadian banking institutions[10], I selected TD MySpend as a platform.
TD MySpend tracks and notifies purchases in real time[11], and while it offers virtual receipts after transactions are completed, these are not created by the merchant[12].
My goal is to bridge the existing gap between transactions-to-consumers-to-financial record-keeping process by laying the groundwork for its full digitalization.
Better Access: User receives a lock-screen notification for recent purchase, taking them to the homepage where the digital receipt can be accessed.
Transaction View: On the Transactions page, the user can tap on the receipt icon to view the receipt. The user can also “flip over” the receipt to see:
Tailored Notifications: Users can customize push notifications for shopping tips, offers, and updates.
When buying at a new retailer, users are prompted turn on notifications and get a mini tutorial on how to set them.
Looking back at Sprint 2, I found myself dissatisfied as:
So, Sprint 3 explores three new design directions, each varying in scalability and implementation effort.
Solution 1: Manual Photo Uploads
Solution 2: Semi-Digitalization Through Standardization
Solution 3: Digital Receipts For All
While exploring, I encountered Taiwan’s Uniform Invoice Lottery that's run by the Ministry of Finance, offering prizes of up to NT$10 million (~CAD$457,222) to incentivize receipt collection and reduce tax evasion[16], [17], [18].
Considering this... Should digital receipt processing be managed federally, such as by CRA, rather than outsourced to banks or merchants?
A federal approach could:
For a hypothetical Sprint 4, I would introduce a CRA-level approach, drawing inspiration from existing services like their MyBenefits web-based mobile app[19].
In conclusion, the digitalization of paper receipts is perhaps not only a product design challenge, but also a public infrastructure opportunity.
