A workshop held by ECR Community Shrinkage & OSA Group last month explored shrinkage reduction measures at self-checkout terminals, as well as ways to engage staff in the self-checkout process. This article first appeared in ESM Issue 1 2020.
While self-checkout technology continues to advance at pace, is enough consideration being given to the employee’s role in the transition to self-checkout solutions in store? What sort of additional technologies, from weighing scales to overhead cameras, are best employed to reduce shrinkage in self-checkout areas?
These were among the core questions posed by the second annual Self-Checkout Workshop, held by the ECR Community Shrinkage & OSA Group in London last month.
“Where ECR can bring value to the debate is around making sure retailers are aware that they aren’t alone with the issues they are encountering,” explains Colin Peacock, group strategy coordinator, ECR Community Shrinkage & OSA Group. “While there are lots of advancements in technology, perhaps not enough focus is being placed on the implementation.”
The workshop welcomed more than 30 retailer organisations, producers, academics, designers and start-ups, to share and discuss new thinking on the role of self-checkout (SCO) in retail, as well as future applications for the technology.
In-Store Usage
The first day of the two-day workshop welcomed presentations from leading firms involved in SCO development, including Modern-Expo and ITAB, as well as revealing the results of a fascinating study by the Design Against Crime research centre, at the University of the Arts London, which looked at the use and misuse of self-checkouts in the store environment.
In devising the study, the research centre immersed itself in the self-checkouts of Asda, Carrefour, Tesco and Lidl stores, to explore the different scenarios that emerge, analysing what happens when a queuing customer is presented with an out-of-order message, how personnel managing the SCO area deal with an irate customer, and how to prevent children from sitting in the bagging area, among 32 potential situations.
The different scenarios and proposed solutions can be found on the ECR Community website, at tinyurl.com/ecrselfcheckout, while a full report on the findings will be published in May.
Retail Findings
The second day of the workshop saw retailer case studies and findings, with Sainsbury’s, Metro and Aldi offering their insights into how they have deployed SCO in their different retail environments, and how each is seeking to empower its employees to work alongside new technology.
In Sainsbury’s case, the level of shrinkage is typically greater in stores that have self-scan checkouts, and higher again in stores with self-scan checkouts that don’t include weighing scales.
Working alongside a video analytics provider, the retailer assessed transaction data to establish the level of mis-scanned items at SCO on a daily basis, and the role of scales (as well as mirror-monitoring CCTV) in addressing shrinkage.
Metro’s presentation, meanwhile, focused on the need to use technology to reduce friction at the audit stage, not to mention ensuring that the customer experience is unaffected.
Using a ‘fast checkout’ system, which incorporates weight validation, and an AI-powered auditing system, the group has been able to better assess the number of mis-scans per transaction across selected outlets in Turkey and the Czech Republic. The company is working alongside Supersmart to cut auditing time down to 30 seconds.
Lastly, Aldi, which introduced self-checkout on a trial basis in the UK, explored the need to ensure that employees are granted sufficient training for SCO departments, with a different set of skills required to those for traditional/manned tills.
“I am encouraged that there has been real discussion on the role of people in the self-checkout process, and that retailers are looking to hire people with different skill sets to man these departments,” says Peacock. “There’s lots of new technology coming down the track, but, sooner or later, that technology is going to rely on individuals to make sure it runs smoothly.”
Details of forthcoming SCO workshops can be found at ecr-shrink-group.com.
2020 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
