3 Must-haves for a Seamless Cashierless Experience
The concept of a Cashierless store is nothing new to the customers nowadays. We have seen or at least heard of many pilot shops like Amazon Go in U.S., Bingo Box in China, and even some fashion retailers are testing the water. While some start with self-check-out counters, others strive to offer a complete unmanned store experience.
What should a seamless Cashierless experience look like?
You scan your App to enter the shop. You take everything you need in the shopping bag with you and leave. That should be it. No more waiting at the tills.
How to ensure a smooth shopping experience like that?
There are 3 key elements the shops should consider.
1. The App for Identification
The App is usually used to identify the customer. A specific QR code or identification number will be generated for each customer. Related contact information and payment methods will be linked. When the customer leaves the store, the total shopping amount will be automatically charged through the preferred payment method stored in the app. Customers can check the full receipt in the app as well.
The App is the first interface with the customer even before they enter a Cashierless store. However, the customers’ willingness to download the Apps is often related to the frequency they use them. That is why companies like Amazon or Alibaba are always one step ahead. Who doesn’t have an Amazon account in U.S. or an Alipay account in China? In the meantime, many small companies struggle at pilot stores and cannot expand.
2. The Technology to track or summarize the Shopping
Various technologies are being used by different retailers.
Mostly used by grocery stores are technologies like Machine vision or Facial recognition. Both use cameras to track shoppers’ actions through the stores. As for Facial recognition, it can even match the shoppers with their identifications. Shelf sensors are usually combined with machine vision to detect whether the products are added or moved through weight.
Smart carts are getting more popular within grocery stores in recent years. It is a combo of cart and cashier. Its equipped cameras can instantly identify the products when the products are added to the cart. The cart has a sensor to monitor the weight change as well. When upgrading a traditional grocery store to a Cashierless one, it costs way less than Machine vision or Facial recognition.
RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags are commonly used by fashion retailers in combination with self-check-out counters. Each piece of clothing comes with an RFID tag, which records the name, color, size, and stock status of the clothing. When customers check out, the information will be read out with the scanner on the counter.
3. Customer Service
Technology has bugs. Mistakes can happen. To ensure an ideal Cashierless experience, any errors should be able to be corrected even after customers left the store. Customer service is usually offered in the App to solve any issue within minutes. In addition, an old-fashioned customer hotline won’t hurt as well.
Studies show increasing interest from customers in Cashierless stores. As time passes, the technology will be more and more refined and offer a truly seamless Cashierless experience to future shoppers.
