Automating the Checkout Zone

Appreciated by Consumers.

French retailer Auchan has had good experience with its automated checkout solution in stores. The company rolled out the solution in February 2006, following a pilot project in June 2004. Today, it operates 212 systems of the type Beetle/iScan Basic Line and two bag systems in 33 supermarkets. The systems are designed to manage peak checkout periods and free up employees for other services. This is something that consumers have learned to appreciate. In their opinion, Auchan’s self-service solution has resulted in faster checkouts, improved customer service and greater trust. The service (Glossary)  is highly used; between 300 and 400 transactions per day are made at the automated checkouts. At one Auchan store, in fact, around 25% of the POS (Glossary)  terminals are now self-checkout systems (Glossary) , used by 35% of shoppers. Moreover, the systems have a return on investment of between 18 and 24 months.

Automated checkout systems are a win-win situation for everyone. Retailers benefit from the automated payment process through a reduced number of cashiers and added time for employees to provide service and support, and they can reduce cash levels and plug security holes through the integration of cash-recycling (Glossary)  components in checkout solutions. Customers, on the other hand, can shop faster and more conveniently.