Is Self-Checkout Technology Better than an Employee

 

In a time when there are more digital natives working and spending money than ever before retailers are evolving to give them what they want and according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® that means technology. There is no doubt that more and more retail foodservice executives are embracing self-checkout (SCO) capabilities, whether they already have kiosks in place or plan to install stations in the future.

Once again, there is a new survey was conducted on behalf of NCR Voyix Corp. by Incisiv entitled "The State of the Industry: Self-Checkout in Convenience & Fuel and Food & Grocery Retail," revealed 43% of retailers have mature SCO networks, while an additional 17% are planning to further scale up their self-checkout deployments.

SCO adoption rates currently vary by retail vertical; about half (53%) of retailers in the food and grocery segment have mature SCO adoption vs. 34% of retailers in convenience and fuel industry. However, convenience and fuel retailers plan to catch up quickly, with 37% currently piloting or scaling SCO deployments, according to the report.

Executives who have already implemented SCO reported benefits for both retailers and shoppers.  Now let’s look at some of the numbers that I’m sure will surprise you:

·         79% reported a better customer experience

·         75% believe the SCO stations enhanced store layout and space utilization

·         58% reported lower labor costs

·         51% reported improvements in operational efficiency

"Self-checkout is now essential for retailers aiming to provide a better and more convenient checkout, while also freeing up employees for other engaging and critical tasks like helping customers in the aisles or keeping inventory stocked," said Eric Schoch, executive vice president and president, retail at NCR Voyix.

Polled executives also commented on common technology woes:

·         Less than half (48%) reported it taking more than a month to roll out a standard bug fix or update at SCO terminals.

·         Nearly all (94%) retailers encounter challenges implementing simultaneous software updates across their store network.

To download the full NCR Voyix Corp. by Incisiv report entitled "The State of the Industry: Self-Checkout in Convenience & Fuel and Food & Grocery Retail," click here. 

Headquartered in Atlanta, NCR Voyix provides digital commerce solutions to the retail, restaurant and digital banking industries through comprehensive, platform-led SaaS and services capabilities. It employs approximately 16,000 staff members in 35 countries.

For international corporate presentations, regional chain presentations, educational forums, or keynotes contact: Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions.  His extensive experience as a multi-unit restaurant operator, consultant, brand / product positioning expert, and public speaking will leave success clues for all. For more information visit GrocerantGuru.com, FoodserviceSolutions.US or call 1-253-759-7869