Carrefour has launched a self-checkout service in its Nairobi Westgate Mall store, giving customers the option to shop and complete purchases without the assistance of cashiers at the cash counter, saving time and avoiding inconveniences caused by long queues.
Christophe Orcet, Regional Director – East Africa, Majid Al Futtaim Retail said the self-checkout service underlines their ongoing commitment to creating seamless shopping experiences for all their customers through adopting global best practices and solutions.
To access the service, customers can click ‘Start’ on the self-checkout counter’s digital screen, scan their items using the barcode reader and complete the purchase by tapping on ‘Finish & Pay’.
The self-checkout lane accepts cashless payment options including Mpesa, debit or credit cards, and MyCLUB loyalty points for even greater flexibility.
The service will be utilised by customers shopping less than 15 items and is expected to be rolled out in all Carrefour stores in the country following a successful pilot.
Currently, the retailer boasts 19 stores countrywide, with 15 located in Nairobi while Kisumu and Mombasa are home to 2 stores each.
According to the 2019 Grand View Research report, the demand for self-checkout systems is expected to increase with a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 13.3 per cent in marketplace value between 2020 and 2027.
Efficiencies
According to Sprinting Digital, some of the efficiencies of a self-checkout service is that there is reduced wait times compared to using a cashier lane. However, they note that the speed of transaction is significantly lower compared to some of the other systems covered in this article.
There is also reduced labour costs as one member of staff can overlook several self-checkout counters.
Furthermore, there is likely a high customer engagement since buyers need to scan product barcodes and place products into a bagging area, and sometimes even weigh products.
A possible disadvantage of self-checkout in general is shoplifting. A store that has 55 to 60 percent of transactions going through self-checkout can expect losses to be 31 percent higher. However, with reduced costs and constantly improving security, this percentage is decreasing over time. This could explain why Carrefour has opted to start with customers who have less than 15 items, as it learns the ropes.
