In-a-hurry consumers are getting accustomed to handling their own in-store shop and pay. Expanding Amazon Go stores have shown the future of mobile self-checkout and the following eMarketer article reports that shoppers are favorably impressed.
Cashierless stores, like Amazon Go, have great potential to shake up the brick-and-mortar landscape. According to GPShopper, 48% of US internet users believe scan-and-go technology would make shopping easier. And 43% would rather try scan-and-go than wait in a checkout line. Respondents said they’d be most interested in scanning groceries, home goods and fashion items.
Similar findings were reported by RIS News, which asked US digital buyers which new shopping options—ranging from drone delivery to augmented reality in-store—they would most like to use. Grab-and-go stores with self-checkout was the leading response, with 59% of respondents saying they’d use it.
Amazon Go Is Setting the Standard
A “just walk out” experience is why lots of consumers are gravitating toward Amazon Go—and why many other retailers, including Macy’s and Kroger, have come up with similar solutions.
Research from MuleSoft found that 60% of internet users worldwide would prefer to shop at other retailers if they offered an Amazon Go-like experience. Not surprisingly, this method resonated most with the 18-to-34 group. But close to half of the 55-and-older cohort also claimed it as a preference.
Research from MuleSoft found that 60% of internet users worldwide would prefer to shop at other retailers if they offered an Amazon Go-like experience. Not surprisingly, this method resonated most with the 18-to-34 group. But close to half of the 55-and-older cohort also claimed it as a preference.
Mobile self-checkout is still in an introductory phase at U.S. merchant, but the stage has been set for a wider rollout of these systems. At the recent National Retail Show in New York City, no fewer than seven developers presented mobile self-checkout solutions, including some using an AI-based interface for shopper and product recognition. Amazon Go methods will require larger capital investment, while scan-and-go systems are aligned more closely with smaller sized merchants. Mobile self-checkout is here to stay—it’s just a matter of how much retailers want to spend on various tech options.
Overview by Raymond Pucci, Director, Merchant Services at Mercator Advisory Group