More retail executives are embracing self-checkout capabilities. According to a survey conducted on behalf of NCR Voyix by Incisiv, 43% of retailers have mature self-checkout (SCO) in place, and an additional 17% are further scaling their self-checkout deployments.

The State of the Industry: Self-Checkout in Convenience & Fuel and Food & Grocery Retail study revealed insights from senior executives in convenience and fuel, and food and grocery.

SCO adoption rates currently vary by retail vertical – about half (53%) of retailers in the food and grocery segment have mature SCO adoption, compared to 34% of retailers in convenience and fuel. However, convenience and fuel retailers plan to catch up quickly, with 37% currently piloting or scaling self-checkout deployments.

Executives who have already implemented SCO in their stores report benefits for both retailers and shoppers, including:

  • 79% Better customer experience
  • 75% Enhanced store layout and space utilization
  • 58% Lower labor costs
  • 51% Improvements in operational efficiency

“Self-checkout is now essential for retailers aiming to provide a better and more convenient checkout, while also freeing up employees for other engaging and critical tasks like helping customers in the aisles or keeping inventory stocked,” said Eric Schoch, executive vice president and president, retail at NCR Voyix. “NCR Voyix will continue to lead the industry in SCO deployments and enable retailers to optimize their store technology for faster, frictionless customer experiences.”

The survey also polled retail executives about common technology challenges they face in their stores:

  • 48% reported it taking more than a month to roll out a standard bug fix or update at SCO terminals
  • 94% of retailers encounter challenges implementing simultaneous software updates across their store network

“A key way that NCR Voyix sees retailers solving these challenges and bridging the gap between agile digital channels and physical stores is by adopting a robust retail edge infrastructure in their stores,” said Schoch.

“Between the adoption of SCO and edge technology, retailers are well on their way to meeting today’s challenging consumer preferences and operational demands,” said Giri Agarwal, chief strategy officer, Incisiv. “It will be the retailers who can match the swiftness of digital experiences in physical stores today that will be well prepared for tomorrow’s new opportunities for growth and evolution.”

Click here to review the complete findings from State of the Industry: Self-Checkout in Convenience & Fuel and Food & Grocery Retail.