Self-Checkout Innovation – Germany
A very informative paper (88 pages?) on self-checkout innovation over the last few years. Thanks to Zahdan of Pyramid Computer (one of the featured examples) for pointing this out.
Click – self-checkout pyramid
The guide summarizes the status and future of self-checkout (SCO) systems in retail. It notes that SCO systems are becoming increasingly popular as they offer several advantages to both retailers and customers. For retailers, SCO systems can help to reduce labor costs, improve efficiency, and free up staff to focus on other tasks. For customers, SCO systems can help to save time and avoid long checkout lines.
SCO Self Checkout Summary
“Self-Checkout Inspiration Guide” is by the EHI Retail Institute. It celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Self-Checkout Initiative and provides a comprehensive overview of self-checkout systems in retail. Here are some key points:
- History and Development: The guide traces the evolution of self-checkout systems in Germany, highlighting the initial skepticism and gradual acceptance by both retailers and consumers.
- Market Insights: It provides detailed market analysis, showing the increasing adoption of self-checkout systems in various retail sectors, including food, non-food, and DIY stores.
- Technological Innovations: The guide discusses the latest technological advancements, such as AI applications, digital shopping carts, and theft prevention measures.
- Case Studies: There are numerous examples from practice showcasing how different retailers have implemented self-checkout solutions. This includes interviews with retailers like Edeka and Ikea, who share their experiences and insights.
- Future Outlook: The guide looks ahead to future trends in self-checkout technology, emphasizing the importance of continued innovation and adaptation to meet consumer needs.
- Components and Solutions: It also covers various components and solutions related to self-checkout systems, such as payment systems, RFID checkouts, and mobile self-scanning.
Overall, the guide is a valuable resource for retailers looking to implement or improve their self-checkout systems, offering practical advice and highlighting successful implementations.
Table of Contents SCO Checkout
- Preface
- The status quo of self-scanning
- Impressions from food retail
- Interview with Edeka
- Self-checkout in non-food retail
- Impressions from non-food retail
- Interview with Ikea
- Smart Stores
- Digital shopping carts
- Components & Solutions
- SCO terminals in the Schubert Edeka store
- Semi-Assisted Checkout Solutions at C&A
- Mobile self-scanning at Coop CH
- Teo Grab & Go Darmstadt
- Self-service terminal in the Schreyer farm shop
- Self-checkout at Poco
- SCOs at Thalia
- RFID checkout at Amarak
- Edeka Offenburg
- Payment systems at the self-checkout
- Receipt printer
- Outlook76Theft prevention
- Artificial intelligence
- KPMG study
- Looking to the future
- Publication details
Excerpts
Why don’t retailers in Germany offer self-checkout terminals or self-scanning solutions? This was the question that gave rise to EHI’s Self-Checkout Initiative back in 2014. Wincor-Nixdorf had put the question to EHI at an in-house fair in Germany’s Eastern Westphalia region. And to be honest, we had no answer at that time. Self-checkout terminals were well established in other countries, but in Germany they were few and far between. Ikea, Real and a few independent grocers had made a start, but that was it. Thus it was high time to take a closer look at the question.
A number of companies were quick to offer their support, and the EHI Self-Checkout Initiative was born. The first task was to conduct a major survey of consumers in Germany. The results were surprising: few people had ever used a self-checkout system, but those who had were very satisfied. And non-users expressed considerable interest. Our first big customer survey therefore clearly showed that the demand for self-checkout systems went beyond what retailers had been offering.
This study was followed by further retailer surveys and talks with retail employees, plus many roundtable discussions and events. Within a short time, a large community devoted to self-scanning and self-checkout came into being
History: The first prototype of a self-checkout terminal was developed in the early 1980s by the American David R. Humble, head of the IT company CheckRobot in Florida. The terminal was first installed in a Kroger store in Atlanta in July 1986. This “CheckRobot” was a big attraction at EuroShop 1990 in Düsseldorf. It was presented in a cooperation project with the south German checkout counter manufacturer Harr (photo)