Both new and seasoned entrepreneurs could probably agree that opening a grocery store can be a profitable venture to consider. Not only that you get to take advantage of the never-ending demand for grocery items, but you’re also contributing to the growth of your local community while also earning a living. Plus, this also allows you to provide additional jobs in your area and hire local employees.
But just like any other type of business, innovative concepts are also making their way into grocery stores. We’ve seen stores offering more convenient payment methods and online shopping experiences. As for in-store concepts, more and more grocery stores are adapting self-checkout lanes or systems with the goal of reducing overhead costs in the long run. Curious why this has become a game-changer for grocery stores? Read on.
1. Cut down wait times
The top benefit of providing self-checkout stations is that it can minimize wait times for store customers, which provides nothing but a negative experience. As a matter of fact, several experiments found that grocery store customers who buy five items using self-checkout lanes just took not more than two minutes to get done with their transactions. With self-checkout implementation, you can minimize wait times that can frustrate customers. Keep in mind though that using top-of-the-line machines is necessary to actually speed up the checkout times
2. Increase customer satisfaction
Among the recognizable benefits of having self-checkout lanes in your grocery store is that you can improve customer satisfaction. Compared to the frustration that traditional checkouts produce, self-checkouts offer a new and better experience to shoppers. Your customers have the flexibility to change their items without bothering the staff and even weigh their own items for pricing without doubting your in-store operations. By providing your customers with choice and control, you can assure a seamless and satisfying shopping experience.
3. Reduce labor costs
Another financial advantage of choosing self-checkouts is that you can reduce labor costs as you can only have one staff to monitor up to six self-checkout lanes. This cost-saving approach though is not meant to actually fire cashiers and other in-store employees. Instead, self-checkout implementation encourages redeployment to more complex job functions that actually require human skills.
Retail professionals suggest that instead of viewing self-service checkouts as a way to eliminate labor costs, they should be treated as a tool for the staff to efficiently support more customers. This allows your store to better manage the daily demand and traffic, especially during peak hours.
4. Save more for in-store needs
Speaking of reducing your labor costs, this opens up the opportunity for saving more money for other in-store needs or operations equipment. This is something to consider especially if you run several grocery stores that manage your own supplies and equipment. You can have more funds to better equip your storage facilities or warehouses and invest in new machinery. For instance, you can invest in a heavy-duty load cell scale or platform for weighing your shop trucks, ensuring that your fleet won’t go over the maximum permissible load.
Or if you are lacking platform trucks for your daily transportation of goods, you can start saving money to get some by implementing self-checkout lanes. Considering the long term, you can save a lot more to fund your business’ growing needs with self-service implementation.
5. Save space in your store
Investing in self-checkout systems and equipment is an eco-friendly action that your grocery store can take. You can set up multiple self-checkout kiosks in the same space where only one traditional checkout station can be placed. Installing such machines or lanes can potentially have a much smaller footprint. And the greater news is, you can have more extra space for shelving and product displays.
You don’t need to install manned stations that usually require great desk space. Or you can take a more profitable step and move into a smaller location, especially if you’re only renting the space out and want to reduce your monthly billings
6. Attract more customers
Besides helping you save money and space, self-checkout implementation is also a cool way to entice more customers into the store. Customers will not only see this as a new shopping experience to try out but also view it as a more convenient option when they’re just grabbing a few things. And also with the heightened concern of viral transmission, more customers are likely to use self-checkouts for their own safety and reduce human contacts.
Indeed, grocery stores have become one of the go-to sources of food and household items for many individuals and families. But by keeping your store updated with the latest business trend like self-checkout lanes, you can make your customers’ shopping experience way more convenient and faster.