For those of you who know me personally, you would know I work part time as a check out chick at a supermarket. An awesome part time job while studying!
Today whilst I was scanning away for 8 HOURS, I thought of something… the process of checking out has remained almost the same for years!
See. I mean, of course the scanning technology has improved, but the whole concept remains the same. A team member (or yourself in the “assisted checkouts’) scans or puts through each item individually.
And the good news is, there is!!! Unless you’re a checkout operator who actually wants to keep your job… in that case, stop reading now!
Eradicating the checkout chick method #1 – Camera and sensor detection
AmazonGo is the first supermarket to implement a checkout free supermarket where cameras and sensors are placed in the store to track what customers remove from the shelves and what they put back.
The Nitty Gritty: Sleek black cameras monitoring from above and weight sensors in the shelves help Amazon determine exactly what people take. If someone passes back through the gates with an item, his or her account is charged. If a shopper puts an item back on the shelf, Amazon removes it from the customer’s virtual cart. Once the customer leaves the gated turnstile they are automatically charged. Read more at this article.
This check-out chick says YES!!
Eradicating the checkout chick method #2 – The Smart Cart
This method is almost a portable assisted checkout in your shopping trolley. Take a look at this video.
The Nitty Gritty: Scan your items as you put them into the trolley which is connected to your credit/debit card. The trolley has an inbuilt weight sensor that recognises if the item scanned at your trolley is the correct item put through. Simply leave the store for automatic payment.
This check-out chick says YES!!
So what does this mean in terms of digital market?
These new technologies are ultimately providing an avenue for marketers to target consumers in a different way whereby they now have added value in the simplicity of the shopping experience. The simplicity of walking into the store, picking your items and just leaving is something that marketers can target to consumers wanting to save time in queues or those who do not want to interact with others. Furthermore, the technology associated with these methods is a promising way to gather individual customer spending data and can tailor marketing activities to the customer through the platform they use to pay with. Sounds like a win win if you ask this checkout chick!
What do you think of these new ways of grocery shopping?
Until next time
– Bec the check-out chick.
Talking Tech with Bec 
Great read! As a shopper that likes to avoid all and any human interaction when checking out, these innovations would definitely change the way we shop in Australia. It would be pretty unfortunate for everyone that loses their job though!
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They definitely will change the way we shop in Australia! I agree, it definitely is unfortunate for those who will lose their job!
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Love this article! Very topical as self-serve begins to dominate check-out options in store. Can’t wait to see what you write next.
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Thanks Jess! Very true! I was in a supermarket in the CBD of Sydney quite recently and they had 40 assisted check outs – crazy!!
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Bec the check out chick! I love it, very insightful these are very innovative ways to transform the shopping experience as we know it! It would be quite amazing to see this in action, the camera and sensor detection seems like it would be quite effective at making the consumers job super simple, and eliminates theft if they are automatically charged. It amazes me how advanced our technology is because it seems like a dream, I’m sure a time will come where robots do our shopping for us. Do you have a preference for the method of eradicating the check out chick?
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Thank you Natasha – very innovative indeed! I don’t actually have a preference in terms of the camera detection or the smart cart as I believe as long as the execution is done perfectly, both options provide the customer with an easy, queue free grocery experience.
In terms of the smart cart, potential issues may arise similar to those we currently face in the self checkout involving a weight mismatch, so as long as this can be perfected I see this as being a very effective way of grocery shopping.
The camera and sensor detection option is still relatively new and work is still being done to ensure it works accurately. Problems may arise here when items aren’t put back in the correct place (perhaps by children or by customers who don’t remember where the item belongs) as this will portray inaccurate weights on the shelf. Recognising these inaccuracies will be essential to ensure customers aren’t charged for items they’ve put back or for the wrong item if it’s not in its correct location. I also feel this method will take more adjusting for customers than the smart cart because the smart cart almost resembles a self check out on the move. An important point for supermarkets to consider!
Check back next week where I talk about another method of eradicating the checkout chick!
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