MAJOR brands are ditching physical checkouts in waves, as flourishing start ups explore new forms of customer experience.
As times change, more customers are rejecting traditional physical checkouts, meaning that space can now be used for another reason.
GettyMajor brands are ditching physical checkouts in waves, as flourishing start ups explore new forms of customer experience[/caption]The retail, experience is changing, and the idea of a clunky checkout waiting for you at the end of your trip is becoming a thing of the past.
Instead, that space is now being used to create a more cohesive flow to the store, and more young companies are embracing it.
Emily Lewis, the General Manager at retailer Glossier, spoke to ModernRetail says that the brand designs its store layouts in circular patterns.
Glossier doesn’t rely on old-school counters, instead a point-of-sale system is used.
This system sees the sale being processed where the customer is standing, instead of them having to wait in long lines to get the product.
Customers are not rushed, instead the items are laid out on tables, and shoppers can leave whenever they’re ready.
Lewis said: “We’ve designed our stores to have flow, no matter what.
“If you think about the way Apple is designed, as a comparison, where you’ve got a big pre-set field of tables, it’s meant to encourage that sense of community and play and self-direction in the store.
“We don’t want you to just be a salesy beauty counter.
“We want you to be someone who connects with the customer.
“Someone who’s there to create a great experience, not just to push product.”
This more relaxed customer experience is designed to encourage a sense of gathering, rather than just a transactional experience of coming and going.
CHANGING WITH THE TIMES
Some brands have had another idea, to replace checkouts with iPads, and have put couches and chairs for people to relax in dedicated areas.
Velvet by Graham and Spencer has seen a 40% increase in point-of-sale purchases thanks to its customers being given more room to discover things themselves.
Latest self-checkout changes
Retailers are evolving their self-checkout strategy in an effort to speed up checkout times and reduce theft.
Walmart shoppers were shocked when self-checkout lanes at various locations were made available only for Walmart+ members.
Other customers reported that self-checkout was closed during specific hours, and more cashiers were offered instead.
While shoppers feared that shoplifting fueled the updates, a Walmart spokesperson revealed that store managers are simply experimenting with ways to improve checkout performance.
One bizarre experiment included an RFID-powered self-checkout kiosk that would stop the fiercely contested receipt checks.
However, that test run has been phased out.
At Target, items are being limited at self-checkout.
Last fall, the brand surveyed new express self-checkout lanes across 200 stores with 10 items or less for more convenience.
As of March 2024, this policy has been expanded across 2,000 stores in the US.
Shoppers have also spotted their local Walmart stores restricting customers to 15 items or less to use self-checkout machines.
Angela Kendall, director of retail, strategy and omnichannel operations, commented to ModernRetail: “We’ve really dove into mobile POS, making sure all of our staff members are using iPads as they walk around.
“It’s OK if it’s just an iPad, and that iPad can save you a lot of money through that really well-educated associate who knows how to use it in the fitting room or while walking around.”
At the jewelry store Mejuri, customers often work with the same associate from the start to the end of the sale.
Mejuri lets customers try on jewelry instead of having everything trapped behind glass cabinets, making for a smoother, more casual experience.
Courtney Hawkins, svp of retail, said: “You work with the same associate from start to finish, rather than being handed off to someone else at a cash wrap.
“The transaction is continuous and integrated, and it’s a concierge experience.
“Once a product is packaged in the back, it’s brought out and presented.
“We show the customer their piece, talk about how to care for it and then wrap it up.
“That’s the end of the experience — not a handoff to a register.
SUPERMARKET CHANGES
As more retail stores get with the changing times, supermarkets like Sam’s Club have began to do something similar, but with a mostly unenthusiastic reaction.
In April, The US Sun reported on Sam’s Club announcement that it would replace all of its self-checkouts in favor of its Scan & Go system.
This is a step towards something more like a point-of-sale system, but because shoppers are going to Sam’s Club more often for multiple items instead of one big item like at a jewelry store, it’s different.
Shoppers have promised to boycott Sam’s Club if this change goes through, per The US Sun.
One person said on social media: “I’m going to let my Sam’s membership expire and switch to Costco.
“I appreciate having a real person check out my items, and scan and go is terrible if you have a lot of items.
“Scan and go does have a purpose, it should be for 10 items or less.
“And then what happens if you happen to have cash and want to pay that way? See ya, Sam’s Club.”
Another added: “I don’t get paid to check myself out.
“I tried it at Walmart once and found their self checkout scanners malfunction quite a bit and scan the wrong (higher) price.
“Since Sam’s Club is the same company it would mean theirs are the same.”
It seems, then, that the line between how much tech should be used can be thin, and depends on what the store’s accepted purpose is.
Having a concierge experience is nice, but when you need to buy a cart of groceries, more often than not ease and speed are the things you are wanting most.
GettyAt the jewelry store Mejuri, customers often work with the same associate from the start to the end of the sale[/caption] Read More Details
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