Shoppers’ lives are becoming busier, and their time as a result is increasingly more valuable. It’s understandable, therefore, that the introduction of self-checkout technology has revolutionized the retail industry, giving people the freedom to take control of their own checkout experience.
Every year, the number of self-checkout systems grows in line with rising demand for greater ease and speed in making purchases. However, while it is often quicker for smaller basket loads, a full cart can actually take longer without the right systems, due to delays with identifying items not barcoded or “unexpected items in the bagging area”.
Implementing self-checkout into the retail environment can also be costly. It can be thousands of dollars to install a single terminal – not including the expense of training staff to use the technology properly. Systems can also break down or experience faults, resulting in repairs and maintenance, and they can eat up a significant amount of valuable floor space in stores.
Why is self-scan the solution?
When it comes to the potential for greater efficiency, convenience, and speed, self-scan seems to be the ideal alternative to self-checkout, yet many retailers are still are not convinced, given the potential costs of implementing dedicated hand-held scanning devices into their environment. The solution is simple – mobile self-scan.
Almost every in-store shopper today owns a smartphone. Making use of this technology is the perfect opportunity to drive down costs, increase revenue, and empower customers. TLM’s smartphone-based scanning software, evoSelfScan, offers shoppers a much more sophisticated in-store experience, and thanks to increasingly intelligent functionality, can become a platform for integrating all sorts of value-added innovations such as loyalty and feedback on the customer’s phone.
A more cost-effective way to checkout
Providing shoppers with a single app for their phone eradicates the need for costly self-scanning devices and systems. It requires less maintenance than self-checkout hardware – most of which can be done remotely and quickly. And because the app can be downloaded and applied to as many mobile devices as desired, it is far more scalable than adding self-scan devices or systems, further reducing the cost of installation and use of retail space on the store floor.
Retail in real-time
evoSelfScan offers budget-conscious shoppers a real-time look at the value of items and their basket total, so they’re always aware of how much they are spending to avoid surprises when they arrive at the checkout. But mobile self-scan doesn’t stop at simply totaling up baskets. It can also make shoppers aware of ongoing promotions, as well as alert them to favorite products or aisle information in real-time as they shop. This improves upselling by highlighting products of interest based on past behavior, and personalizes the experience, while offering deals that avoid double-discounting.
Time is of the essence
The fast-paced nature of self-scan makes the retail experience quicker. As shoppers are scanning everything as they go, there’s no need for them to unnecessarily wait in line. Instead they avoid lines and going direct to a self-scan checkout, or let the cashier scan a unique code to complete payment. Functionality is also being developed that will make it possible to pay for scanned items in-app, too, bypassing lines completely. Other exciting features on the horizon include route-finding capabilities that will sync with a virtual shopping list to help customers navigate their way around stores.
Environmentally conscious
evoSelfScan will automatically send a digital copy of your customer’s receipt to their smartphone after every purchase, reducing paper waste. Shoppers can look back through their payment history via the app, easily reviewing previous purchases on-demand.
Self-scan represents huge untapped potential for small-format retail, and is here today for retailers looking to modernize stores. While it may feel like a big change, it’s one which shoppers are ready to embrace as an alternative to self-checkout.
evoSelfScan is a highly-intuitive self-scanning mobile app that makes self-service shopping at c-stores effortless. Grounded in our next-generation POS, evoPOS®, it brings fast access to the latest in retail innovation, thanks to an open software platform that dramatically shortens development cycles for new features.
Contact us today to learn more about evoSelfScan, evoPOS, or how self-scan could benefit your c-store.
