Global study reveals that Australian shoppers and retailers value self-checkout technology

A survey from NCR Corporation shows that Australian consumers are realising the importance of technology and increasingly prefer retail self-checkout options for convenience, ease-of-use and speed.

The survey of shoppers in nine countries around the world on their use and preferences associated with self-checkout (SCO) technology revealed that 90% of those polled globally use SCO technology, and over 37% of shoppers in Australia agree that retailers offering the SCO technology provide better customer service.

The survey further underlines the fact that self-checkout technology has become more established and accepted in the mainstream, providing value to both consumers and retailers alike.

With convenience and speed of a retail self-checkout leading consumers to appreciate and adopt SCO technology, retailers are responding to consumer demand and usage, and the loyalty and impact on the bottom line that the technology can drive in-store.

NCR commissioned the NPD Group to survey more than 2,800 consumers in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, Spain, United Kingdom and the United States for the 2014 self-checkout survey results.

Key findings include:

• When asked what they liked about self-checkout, consumers’ top three responses were convenience (42%), ease of use (40%) and the speed of self-checkout technology in comparison to the cashier assisted line (39%)

• When consumers were asked what could be done to improve self-checkout, the top three suggestions included a larger bagging area (45%), an attendant is always available to assist (43%) and making it easier to purchase produce or non-bar coded items (37%)

• When asked where shoppers would most like to have access to SCO, the top responses were supermarkets/hypermarkets (62%), mass merchants (50%), do-it-yourself/home improvement (37%) and convenience stores (35%)

Confirming that Australians have long been early adopters of new technology, NCR Retail General Manager for Australia Kristie Longhurst states “an increasing number of consumers in Australia are recognising the speed and value self-checkout provides.

“We have realised that there is strong appreciation for the benefits this technology provides with more than 9% of Australians saying they will always use SCO regardless of the quantity they buy.

“NCR constantly strives to enhance ease-of-use with self-checkout, providing customers the option to quickly pick and pay for their items.”

SCO technology is an important component of many retailers’ omni-channel strategies. In fact, retailers are increasingly tying the technology to omni-channel software platforms to help increase customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, agility and overall profitability.

This is no longer limited to grocery retailing strategies, as self-checkout technology is increasingly being deployed in other retail segments such as convenience and department stores.

NCR is the world’s largest supplier of self-checkout technology according to strategic research and consulting firm RBR. According to RBR’s research, NCR is the leader in self-checkout shipments with a total of 71% share.

To learn more about the survey results, a white paper on the study can be accessed here.

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