CBE feature in ‘Irish Computer’ magazine
The June edition of the Irish Computer magazine ran a feature on how new technology is changing the face of retail. Journalist Billy MacInnes spoke to Seamus McHugh, Marketing Manager at CBE for some fresh perspectives.
Self-Checkout & Contactless Payments
Consumers are more technologically advanced than ever before and this presents retailers with tremendous opportunities to engage with their customers and offer them different shopping experiences that can match their preferences.
Although around for a number of years, Self-Checkout is only now becoming available in mainstream retail stores. Enhancements to user interfaces aligned with customers becoming more familiar with self-service technologies have ensured that any investment in Self-Checkout will provide significant benefits for both the retailer and the shopper.
Research has shown that a third of shoppers prefer to use Self-Checkout over cashier staffed checkouts. Consumers are now switching supermarkets to stores that match their needs and offer newer more convenient methods of payment.
By understanding customers’ needs and offering Self-Checkout along with traditional checkouts, retailers are seeing enormous benefits in the way their stores operate. They can have more checkouts open for longer at no extra cost which serves customers better and reduces queues at peak shopping periods.
Self-Checkout also offers a more convenient alternative for basket shoppers and improves labour efficiency allowing staff to be redeployed in a more efficient manner and the typical ROI is 18 months.
Cashless Self-Checkout is the next generation in Self-Checkout technology as it offers a card only payment solution thus eliminating cash handling at the point of sale and offers a more streamlined payment option as more customers switch to card payments over cash.
As consumers demand more control of their shopping experience, Self-Checkout provides that control and aligned with Contactless payment technology and Near-Field-Communication the age of empowering the consumer has well and truly begun.
