A few years ago, I was out shopping at lunch for some clothing. Once I made my final selection in the fitting room and started getting dressed, I just wished that I could pass the clothing I wanted to buy to the sales associate along with my credit card and have her ring everything up for me. Why should I have to deal with the most tedious part of shopping — waiting in line and checking out? Having worked in retail systems for a number of years, I contemplated technologies and store processes that might enable this. I even proposed the idea that in the future shopping should feel like stealing at an advisory board I was a member of. My premise was that the customer should just be able to walk out of the store with their selected goods and instantly pay for them. The fun part of shopping is the exploring and choosing, certainly not the check-out. Besides, the traditional cash wrap desk feels so archaic and needs to evolve.
Some grocery and big box stores have implemented self checkout solutions that work fairly well. Many could use some ergonomic improvements for large orders, but they are quite manageable for small to medium shopping trips. When they are available, I almost always use them.
The Apple Store and their shopping app which allows you to (when you are in an Apple Store) scan self-serve products on the app and pay for them with the credit card information saved on you phone is pretty cool and comes close to the shopping feels like stealing experience. I have used it a few times and definitely like it enough to use it in the future.
When I read that Zara had deployed self checkouts in a few European stores, I knew I wanted to test it out. Zara’s popularity has led to long queues at the cash which I am certain irritates customers and also potentially leads to lost sales.
The Zara kiosks are conveniently located in the fitting room area. I quickly looked them over as I got in line for the fitting room – they looked simple enough. I was excited to try them out.
Once I had made my selection, I walked up to the kiosk and started following instructions. Ergonomically, it was pretty well designed. There is a small shelf to put your clothing on and also a rod for clothing that are on hangers. I only had one item, but the solution is designed to handle multiple easily. The onscreen instructions were clear and easy to follow. There is a security tag removal component and a shelf for items (like shoes) that have non-removable but deactivable anti-theft devices. There is a well integrated chip and pin card reader. Zara’s has even conveniently hung some small shopping bags to put your clothes in. Everything should have functioned well. I really wanted everything to work smoothly.
For the most part it did, however, when I reached the security tag removal step, something went wrong and my tag wasn’t unlocked so a manager had to be called. I needed to follow them to the main cash area to have the tag removed. If the last step had worked without issue, I definitely would have been out of the store faster and more satisfied than standing in the check-out queue. Overall I thought it was a decent experience and I give kudos to Zara for pushing the technology envelope. I hope more specialty retailers consider these types of solutions and continue to enhance the in-store customer experience to meet the evolving needs of their customers.
Nathalie Belanger 