Self-checkout option increases customer satisfaction

Self-checkout lanes, once considered experimental and initially feared by technophobic shoppers, have become highly prevalent among retailiers and increasingly accepted by shoppers.

The concept, first popularized at gas stations, has now expanded to grocery stores, home improvement retailers, movie theaters, libraries, airports, hotels, and others. Experts estimate that 20 to 50 percent of the daily transaction volume and 15 to 35 percent of the daily dollar volume of some retail stores is being handled by self-checkout. In its 2006 survey, the IHL Consulting Group, a retail and hospitality consulting company, found that 94 percent of respondents are willing to use self-checkout.

The presence (or absence) of the self-checkout option has proved to have a demonstrable effect on customer satisfaction. According to a Feb. 2007 study by National In-Store, Sarasota, Fla., one in 10 shoppers leaving a store without making a purchase cited the wait to check out as a factor in their decision not to buy. The study also revealed that among customers forced to wait in line for more than four minutes, overall satisfaction levels fell below 80 percent.

Because of this link between self-checkout and increased customer satisfaction, retailers are looking for new ways to facilitate self-checkout. For example, some grocery stores are working to eliminate the checkout line altogether by developing systems that allow shoppers to scan and bag groceries as they are placed in the cart. Other grocery store applications under development would allow shoppers to place deli and pharmacy orders while they shop, and be alerted to discounts on favorite items. Even fast-food operations such as Subway are testing machines that allow customers to place orders themselves.

The bottom line: Self-checkout has a demonstrable effect on customer satisfaction. Because of this, shoppers are increasingly utilizing self-checkout and retailers are seeking new ways to use this option to improve the customer experience.