As consumers are becoming more comfortable going out and shopping at brick-and-mortar stores, and in-store traffic increases back towards previous levels before the pandemic, retailers need to be prepared for a change in customer behavior and with it, a change in shopper expectations. Amid all the change, this is a unique moment and a great time to reevaluate your stores’ technology and in-store experiences, including checkout and other touchpoints. Here’s why now is the time to consider self-service as part a front-end transformation that will create the new experiences shoppers are looking for.
Self-service is here to stay
The pandemic has changed how consumers shop and what they expect for their in-store experiences. While the use of curbside, click & collect and online shopping has soared recently, these are generally seen as more temporary solutions while shoppers are increasingly drawn to self-checkout as an experience that is here to stay, with studies showing that 52% of shoppers would use self-checkout if it was offered. Not only can self-checkout provide a faster checkout experience than a traditional checkout, it is also requires significantly less contact, helping to minimize physical interaction with associates and other shoppers. Accounting for this change is important long-term as data shows that safety and speed of checkout are the top two priorities shoppers consider before visiting a store. The expanding benefits of self-checkout continue to draw shoppers, so retailers need to offer more options while still offering the support of associate assistance that many shoppers still tend to rely on. This growing interest isn’t just in traditional retail, it’s becoming popular in other segments, too. For example, 72% of restaurants are looking to enable self-service options for guests in 2021, in many cases because they’re looking to offer contactless experiences and maximize productivity with technology that’s scalable and flexible. We expect self-service checkout and touchpoints to grow in popularity because it increasingly offers convenient, easy, fast, and now safer experiences – and shoppers love to stick with checkout methods that make their lives easier.
Self-service is more than a checkout method
Your store’s front-end doesn’t have to be limited to the front of the store anymore. With self-service solutions like kiosks, a wide variety of retailers in specialty, hospitality, grocery, and convenience can create a wide variety of new experiences for shoppers. Self-service can add enormous value to a shopper’s in-store experience. As experts predict that stores will see a 5.4% increase in in-store sales this year, 92% of those sales are projected to happen at physical stores. From in-grocery deli ordering to lottery tickets, and from gift registries to food courts, deploying more self-service stations in businesses that previously have been unable to do so gives customers more opportunities to drive their own in-store experiences. New compact self-service technologies are making this a reality for both large and small businesses with limited budgets or in-store space.
New technologies are bringing new experiences
If your store doesn’t already offer self-service capabilities, it might be easier to implement them than you previously thought. Implementing technology can be cumbersome, expensive, and time consuming, so retailers need technology that can be installed quickly to adapt to shoppers’ needs. Compact and lightweight, the Pro-X Hybrid Kiosk can be installed virtually anywhere in the store and seamlessly integrate with current store strategy to enable you to rethink your store’s design and increase capabilities. Designed for any retail environment, Toshiba’s new Pro-X Hybrid Kiosk is a space-saving countertop solution that can help you deliver the experiences that shoppers are looking for at checkout and throughout the rest of the store. Find out how the Pro-X Hybrid Kiosk can help you reimagine your shopper’s experience.
