Australian supermarket chain Woolworths launched the country's first virtual supermarkets in Sydney and Melbourne earlier this week, where shoppers can use iPhones or Android smart phones to order food to their homes by scanning barcodes.

"The walls of Town Hall in Sydney have been converted into a virtual supermarket and will feature more than 120 of Woolworths' most popular products across all product categories, including our famous fresh food," said director of supermarkets Tjeerd Jegen.

"Sydney commuters going through Town Hall station will be the first in Australia to experience the cutting edge of supermarket innovation."

The company has applied the same idea in Melbourne's Flinders Street Station. The move is part of a push to promote mobile shopping through the Woolworths' App.

"The virtual supermarket wall is just one idea we are working on to make our customers' lives easier. The virtual supermarket will be at Town Hall for a week and we will take feedback from customers throughout this time.

"This experience will provide us with important information on how we can develop this concept into the future."

The App allows customers to browse or scan products, order and pay on their mobiles, create shopping lists and a search function.

www.freshfruiportal.com