Eighty-five percent of shoppers have used a self-service checkout kiosk, according to a new survey from Retale, a location-based mobile platform connecting more than 3.5 million shoppers with their favorite major retailers locally.
Retale’s new commissioned study examines consumer self-service checkout adoption among brick-and-mortar retailers. The study focused on several areas of the experience, including convenience, challenges and desired improvements. More than 1,000 adult men and women across the United States were polled for the study.
The study revealed that 15% of shoppers have never used a self-service kiosk; and that 91% of millennials–those 18 to 34 years of age–have used a self-service kiosk versus 81% of those 35 and older.
The most popular reasons for using a self-service kiosk were:
72%, “I have a limited number of items”
55%, “There was no line”
13%, “I prefer to keep my transactions and financial information private”
12%, “I don’t like interacting with cashiers”; 20% among millennials
41% say checkout kiosks are convenient, but could be better.
67% of all respondents said that self-service kiosks are convenient versus 33% inconvenient; of the 67%, 41% said that, despite its convenience, the experience “could be a lot better”
Across all respondents, 43% said they often need help from an associate when using self-service checkout. In particular, 37% of millennials need support, compared to 47% of shoppers over 34 years of age.
The top challenges in using self-service kiosks include:
35% scanning items
24% entering coupons
16% understanding the service screen
15% paying with cash
14% entering product codes
When asked the number of products that they would feel comfortable checking out with via self-service, the answers were as follows:
33% selected five to 9 products
26%, 10 to 14 items
24%, 15 or more items
17%, one to four items
Despite current self-service checkout limitations, shoppers would also prefer the following:
49% would like to see more kiosks at every retail location to help streamline the checkout process
53% want at least one store employee overseeing kiosks to ensure devices are used smoothly, as the number of kiosks increases
32% want limits on the number of items shoppers can pay for at each kiosk
When asked about the retailers that should add more self-service kiosks:
49% picked mass merchandisers
46% supermarkets
42% drugstores
27% convenience stores
24% department stores
24% specialty stores
As technology advances, 20% of those surveyed wish to have the option to pay via a mobile phone or smartwatch at each kiosk. Twenty-six percent (among millennials) want to be able to pay at self-service kiosks using mobile devices versus 16% of those over 34 years old.
“Almost a quarter of all millennials use self-service kiosks to avoid any sort of interaction with cashiers,” said Pat Dermody, president of Retale. “As a result, there is a growing demand for more automation and innovation throughout the checkout experience, via integrations with smartphones, wearables and other mobile devices. This will add to the convenience factor that already appears to be key to the experience.”
[Image Getty Images/Dan Dalton]