Meijer Testing Next Generation Checkouts In Michigan Store
By Megan Zielinski, contributing writer
Meijer, the supermarket chain retailer, recently deployed NCR-built checkout service in the company’s hometown of Georgetown Township, MI.
In effort to please customers by speeding up the checkout process, Meijer has partnered with NCR, a leader in consumer transaction technologies by implementing the newest version of self-checkout software. The system is designed to help retailers improve revenue, drive loyalty, increase store traffic, and lower operation costs.
Customers place items on the conveyer belt, the x-ray style scanner consists of 17 cameras, allowing for rapid checkout, eliminating the need for the assisting cashier to search for barcodes. The items are then distributed to three bagging areas, where customers bag their own items. The software is set up to accept store promos, m-perks, coupons, and all forms of payment.
Meijer is adding the new checkout service to the traditional checkout and U-scan self-checkout currently in place at the Michigan store. Each POS system has its own benefits, and Meijer’s is providing more options to cater to customer preferences while allowing for fast store turnover. “It’s all about choices for our customers, says Frank Guglielmi, Meijer spokesman. “They choose how they want to shop and which technology they want to use. Through close evaluation while testing the system at the chain’s corporate location, they will determine if the technology will be applied throughout Meijer’s 203 stores across five states.
With 70 percent of global share of units shipped and experiencing a 26 percent increase in shipment of self-checkout units in 2013, NCR is the leading maker and distributor of self-checkout units. Over 450 million transactions occur each day through use of their provided software, hardware, and portfolio services. NCR offers solutions that optimize efficiencies at POS, renovates businesses while enhancing customer experience and services. NCR is delivering technologies to meet the needs for “fast, easy, and convenient transactions with intuitive service and assisted-service options.” Retailers, including Meijer’s, are becoming increasingly aware of customers’ satisfaction with speedy service from store entrance to exit. “That’s one of the things that makes customers upset more than anything else is having to wait in line,” states Guglielmi.