Various forms of self-service shopping and services have been with us for a long time, but the last few years have greatly accelerated the development of this technological branch. Of course, such a turn of events can be seen in the increasing possibilities of today’s electronics, but also in a much more digitally educated society than a few years ago. The use of self-service systems becomes common and comfortable solution for a larger percentage of the society. However, what barriers still stand in the way of an even wider expansion of self-service devices? What is the way to overcome them?
The self-service paradox
The level of self-service that the entire industry is striving for should, in principle, eliminate the need for employees to interfere with customer service. This will ensure the speed and convenience of each transaction that has been unmatched so far, and at the same time will allow employees to shift to other tasks that require a non-standard or emotional approach. However, in order for the future to look like this, it is now necessary to intensify cooperation between the customer, seler and technology supplier. Self-service checkouts are still far from perfect, so it is essential to carefully listen to the needs of customers, because they are the only true reviewers of any such solution.
How to enter a new era? Intelligent
Research shows that as many as 75% of customers believe that the real problem with self-service kiosks is still the difficulties with operating them. The interface is sometimes unnecessarily complicated and opaque, which results in the need for frequent assistance of a store or restaurant employee. This problem is especially true for supermarket checkouts, which generate problems with the correct scanning of products. As a result, as many as 90% of consumers would like kiosks to intelligently support the process of scanning.
Solutions of this type are beginning to appear on a smaller scale in some retail chains or restaurants. Product recognition is performed using RFID chips or cameras connected to advanced artificial intelligence algorithms, as in the SelfMaker Selfbox AI cash register. In this way, improved smart checkouts can increase customer satisfaction through faster, intuitive and hassle-free operation.
Choose personalization
Another way to improve your self-checkout experience is to implement well-designed personalization algorithms. This option will be perfect for vending machines offering specialized products. One of the examples of that solution are kiosks with CBD-based products, created by Hemp Fusion, which can be found, for example at Atlanta airport. Before the release of the product, these machines provide the opportunity to go through a short path of questions aimed at determining the personal preferences of the consumer and adjusting the assortment to his expectations as precisely as possible.
Freedom of choice
However, in all your pursuit of the perfect self-service solution, you should never forget to leave a choice. Each of us represents different values, each has different priorities and needs. What in the self-service fever may seem like an obvious goal – speed, comfort and practicality do not always win over a strictly human and emotional approach. For many people, direct contact with another living being will always remain a priority.
Nevertheless, it is worth to constantly strive to improve the quality of self-service infrastructure, discover new opportunities, enter new paths and take full advantage of what modern technology gives us. Proper implementation of self-service checkouts, combined with properly allocated human capital, will allow you to attract and retain customers who want to settle the necessary matters quickly, without unnecessary difficulties and return to their basic duties. And this in a world dominated by constant rush will surely be appreciated.