Elena Perova via Getty Images
By Tatiana Walk-Morris
Source: www.retaildive.com, October 2022

Dive Brief:

  • Indicating a shift away from cashiers, a Zebra Technologies survey of 4,200 international respondents found that 82% of retail decision-makers are planning to invest more in technology over the next three years. Almost half (45%) said they are converting more cash register space to self-checkout space, and 43% are clearing space for contactless checkout kiosks.
  • According to the report, less than half of shoppers use self-checkouts. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of shoppers said they prefer contactless payment options and the ability to check out anywhere in the store.
  • Eighty-three percent of retail employees said self-checkout kiosks allow them to do higher-priority tasks and better serve customers.

Dive Insight:

Retailers have increasingly adopted self-checkout technology in recent years, but implementing these tools properly is critical. Zebra Technologies, which itself sells retail technologies like mobile computers, noted that self-checkout and mobile checkout options provide customers with speed and convenience and enable store associates to help other customers on the sales floor.

Though the Zebra Technologies survey suggests that retailers are leaning into self-checkout stations, other reports have indicated that self-checkout kiosks can cause problems for shoppers. A Raydiant report released last year found that 25.1% of respondents are likely to avoid self-checkout kiosks if they don’t work correctly, and 65% of respondents were worried about the cleanliness of self-checkout stations. On the other hand, 85% of respondents said self-checkout stations were faster than waiting in line.

A June RBR report estimated that shipments from self-checkout technology providers will grow to more than 300,000 by 2027. The firm also estimated that the international market for self-checkout kiosks rose 11% last year. Among the U.S. retailers taking part in the trend is Dollar General, which announced in May that it is piloting self-checkout-only stores at about 200 locations this year.