The Benefits of Installing a Self-Checkout Kiosk in Your Retail Space

With changing times, redundant human jobs are increasingly being automated. Keeping up with this technological advancement, human cashiers are now being replaced by AI-based self-checkout kiosks. Moreover, there are statistics to show that this self checkout trend is booming.

As per a survey by SOTI, 76% of consumers indicated that their retail shopping experience is made better when the staff is armed with technology. This goes on to prove that humanless self checkout machines are highly in demand. In fact, a study by NCR shows that Australia ranks second globally, at 9%, when it comes to the percentage of consumers who always use self-checkout kiosks.

There are a plethora of reasons for such popularity of self-checkout machines in Australia. Some of the most common ones are listed below.

1. Saves Time – One of the most widely known advantages of using a self-checkout kiosk is the fact that these help shorten queues. Self-checkout is believed to be less time consuming than traditional checkout counters. The SOTI study states that 67% of consumers believed that retailers who choose more mobile technology enable them to save time. This shows that a self-checkout kiosk would be more preferred by time conscious buyers. Moreover, it is also important to note that due to the compactness, a number of self-checkout kiosks can be installed in much larger quantities than manned kiosks. This will also help reduce the time consumed standing in the waiting line.
2. Cuts Labour Costs – Retailers incur a lot of operational expenses. These include power bills, inventory cost, rent, maintenance expenses and more. In consequence, they are already burdened with financial obligations in order to keep the business running successfully. Self-checkout machines can help cut down on these expenses. Since these are based on the concept of self-service, these eliminate the need for cashiers. This helps retailers save on unnecessary labour costs. If there is an excessive need for cashiers, you can just put up a few more, prompt machines instead of bearing salary expenses of extra personnel.
3. Saves Space – Unlike checkout counters, a self-checkout kiosk is compact.
   It takes up minimal space on the store floor. On that account, when replacing counters with kiosks, your store will look more spacious and give customers a scope for free and uncluttered movement. Besides, you can also add in more sections and fill them up with unique products to enhance customer experience. Since self-checkout machines are smaller, it is possible to have more of these in the same space when compared to the number of huge counters. This increases client convenience and supports the time-saving feature of self-checkout kiosks.
4. Eliminates Human Error – Loaded with AI capabilities, self checkout machines are accurate and fast. Human cashiers, on the other hand, are imperfect and can make miscalculations very often. Such errors are eliminated by kiosks. In addition, there are times when human cashiers are on lunch breaks or are occupied with other work. This can lead to an increase in wait times and tick off customers. Self-service machines rarely go out of service when maintained properly. They are always accessible and are more efficient.
5. Increases Convenience – According to the survey by SOTI, 77 percent of consumers would be very or somewhat comfortable in a retail setting where only self-checkout technology was offered. This stems from the fact that self-checkout counters increase convenience. By minimising human interaction at the checkout counter, they give scope for multi-tasking. A shopper can talk on the phone, listen to music or multi-task in other ways while completing the check-out process. Not just this, a consumer gets access to multiple cashless payment options when using a self-checkout kiosks. These aspects make shopping at retail stores more convenient for consumers.
6. Better Inventory Control – Inventory control is a cumbersome task that demands more labour and is time consuming. AI-based self-checkout machines have more capabilities than traditional checkout counters. One of the features that these provide is easy inventory control. Whenever an item is checkout out by consumers, the machine records the transaction, thereby keeping a track of the number of items left. This makes the inventory management process less demanding, more organised and comfortable.
7. Enhances Staff Productivity – Self-checkout kiosks are manless and can be operated easily by consumers. Hence, these do not demand labour. This gives staff the ability to prioritise more important tasks. The overall in-store productivity is therefore improved and the retail space becomes more efficient and high-functioning.
8. Augments Profits – Having a self-checkout machine decreases wait times, makes your store more functional and increases customer convenience. All this creates an enhanced shopping experience for your customers that cultivates an exceptional market reputation for your store. This thereby attracts swarms of business towards your retail centre and increases the chances of making higher profits.

All of the above pointers are reasons why a retail store should replace cash counters with self-checkout kiosks in Australia.

If you are looking for the best self-checkout machines in Australia, contact Smart Vending Machines. Our AI self check-out machines are ladened with the latest technology and diverse features such as internet connectivity, barcode scanning and so on.

Call us for the best vending solutions today.