Wal-Mart, parent company of Asda, is exploring a system where it will not pay a merchandiser until it has sold that particular product off its shelf.
The system will see the supermarket giant not pay until it has verified the sale of a particular item and this move could have major implications for the operation of supply chains.
Dave Food, director of supply chain applications at Oracle, said the initiative could be revolutionary.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph he said: "They don't pay a supplier until the product is sold - so, although it is on the shelves of a Wal-Mart store, it is still owned by the manufacturer."
He said this would give the power to chains.
"Suppliers are paid on 30, 60 and 90-day cycles, so introducing a further delay is going to be enormously cash-positive for large retailers. They get money for the product before they have to buy it," he explained.
The retailer is also looking at contactless checkouts which would mean no need for cashiers and an opportunity to save money.
