Scan-and-go technology

With almost one-quarter (24%) of Australians having voted queuing at checkouts to be their biggest grievance in supermarkets,1 7-Eleven has attempted to address this issue by opening its first checkout-free store in Melbourne during May. By substituting the traditional checkout counter for Scan-and-Go technology, 7-Eleven is aiming to create a frictionless in-store experience for shoppers.2 Using Scan-and-Go, shoppers walk in, grab what they want, scan the barcode, and checkout with their phone, bypassing the often tedious process of waiting in line at the cashier.

Queuing at checkouts are also a big issue in the US. Each year, American shoppers spend roughly 37 billion hours waiting in lines, which can cause stress and boredom. 3As a result, e-commerce company, Amazon introduced the checkout-free alternative Amazon Go. In this convenience store, sensors and cameras are able to automatically detect and scan products for shoppers. This enables shoppers to walk in, make their choices, and walk out within minutes, increasing convenience and saving a significant amount of time for shoppers. 4 For retailers, there are also benefits including less congestion and more space for products, better inventory management, lower labour costs, and better allocation of staff. 5 But whilst the focus has been shifted to increasing convenience and efficiency, have retailers overlooked the importance of interpersonal experiences for shoppers?

A desire for human interaction

Humans are emotional creatures who desire human interactions.5 One Amazon Go shopper recounted that they felt that they were missing something when they were unable to “exchange pleasantries with a cashier”.6 These types of interactions are able to create unique experiences, which have become almost habitual for many shoppers.

Self-checkout systems are a similarly autonomous retail innovation. However, customers unfamiliar with the technology have shown a preference for traditional checkout methods as well.7 With full reliance on mobile apps, checkout-free stores may receive a similar lukewarm reception from shoppers due to unfamiliarity and the lack of human interaction, requiring retailers to gradually build consumer trust in the technology.

Whilst the Scan-and-Go technology is useful for low-touch, low-relationship purchases, such as ones where shoppers know exactly what they want prior to entering the store. 7-Eleven and other stores in the convenience store industry, fast food industry, and possibly even the grocery industry are built on these types of transactions, making the technology very attractive within this industry. However, in some instances, shoppers may still be looking for human interactions in-store or need to be taught how to use these new technologies. As a result, it may be a better solution to offer Scan-and-Go technology alongside traditional checkout methods.8 With technology evolving at an exponential rate, retailers may need to take a step back and consider consumer comfort whilst guiding them through to a new era of technological innovations.

  1. Canstar Blue (2016). Source.
  2. McIlvaine, H. (2019). Source.
  3. Stone, A. (2012). Source.
  4. Jacobs, K. (2018). Source.
  5. Polacco, A. & Backes, K. (2018). The Amazon Go Concept: Implications, Applications, and Sustainability. Journal of Business and Management, 24(1), 79-92.
  6. McNichols, J. (2018). Source.
  7. Collier, J. & Kimes, S. (2012). Only If It Is Convenient: Understanding How Convenience Influences Self-Service Technology Evaluation. Journal of Service Research, 16(1), 39-51.
  8. Elmas, M. (2019). Source.