We’ve all been there. A grocery store, a department store or even a coffee shop, standing in a long checkout line that hasn’t moved for what seems like an eternity. You ask yourself, ‘Is this purchase worth it?’ For one third of customers, the answer is no, if they have to wait more than five minutes. (Source: Brickstream)
But imagine if we could eliminate checkout lines? Well at Cisco – we have! In our latest conversation about the Internet of Everything, we’ve imagined more possibilities with our “Museum of Lasts” campaign – the last traffic jam, the last blackout, the last missed meeting – and yes, the last checkout line.
Increasingly, retailers understand the importance of having both a physical and digital presence – and how the power of the Internet of Everything will digitize those experiences. Thanks to technologies like predictive analytics that sense foot traffic and notify stores when more cashier lanes should open, as well as sensors on shelves that can identify inventory and automatically place orders when low, customers and retailers are becoming closer than ever before.
But will these technologies help retailers improve the customer experience? Will the Last Checkout Line ever become a reality? I believe the answer is yes. Last month, I shared results from a recent Cisco study that highlighted unique insights about shopping behaviors among U.S. and U.K. consumers. In this digital age, it’s absolutely critical for retailers to provide “hyper-relevant” experiences. Shoppers don’t want to be sent coupons for diapers if they don’t have children; retailers need to understand the reason and context behind each consumer’s shopping experience and react accordingly.
Some of the key findings from the study emphasized that shoppers do not want to wait in a long line. Seventy-seven percent said that they would use checkout optimization to receive estimated wait times, while 60% would scan product bar codes using their smartphone and then pay at a self-service kiosk. These are the types of digital experiences that shoppers are looking for – and will help eliminate the checkout line!
Imagine a world where retailers could enable technologies that allow customers to gather the products they want and pay for everything with a single swipe of a mobile device. Forget queuing up; the transaction could happen anywhere in the store and the customer would then be free to exit – without ever standing in line.
And this future world isn’t too distant. Retailers believe that by 2017, 56% of all transactions will be completed via a mobile point of sale, self-checkout at a terminal or on a shopper’s mobile device. (Source: Motorola)
Some retailers have already begun their journey to eliminate checkout lines and improve the customer experience.
Intu, the UK’s leading specialist shopping center owner, developer and manager, invested into its network backbone and multichannel capabilities for enhanced mobility. Understanding that they are able to attract and build stronger, more personalized relationships with their mobility-inclined customers, Intu was able to grow its customer database by 25 percent after just four months of having Wi-Fi in its centers.
As mobility becomes more and important to the customer experience, the need for it to extend into the checkout line will become increasingly critical to the success of retailers. The retail store of the future is coming. Through the Internet of Everything, a long checkout line can truly be a thing of the past. As we celebrate our 30th anniversary, we continue to look forward to a future where everyday challenges like the Last Checkout Line, the Last Traffic Jam and so many others become a reality. Cisco and its partners are working together to make these amazing things happen with technology.
I, for one, would love to never have to wait in a long checkout line again when I am at the grocery store. How about you?
No one likes to wait in a long checkout line, Blair. I think in ten year we won’t even need to go to the grocery 🙂
I personally am willing to wait in line so I dont get emails from my insurance company about my diet.
“Imagine a world where retailers could enable technologies that allow customers to gather the products they want and pay for everything with a single swipe of a mobile device. Forget queuing up; the transaction could happen anywhere in the store and the customer would then be free to exit – without ever standing in line.” <<—YES, please!!
internet has changed the life. Now a days it much easy, no need to waste your time in such big line
This will be yet another welcome benefit of the internet.
I am totally up for it! You already see self service checkout booths at Walmart in the U.S. In my country, grocery stores could use this technology to enhance their security because there would be lots of people trying to take advantage of this “self service” option in a negative way, you know what I mean. All in all, another interesting project!
Dear Blair,
let’s see how it will work in real life. There are still many people who don’t have smart phones or extra technological skills. Personally, although I am a technical type, I am wondering if it wouldn’t bother me to deal with all those scanning and wouldn’t it reduce the amount of employees? Not to forget that the more you use the internet, the more they know about you.
I am really curious.
Cheers,
Richard
IoE had me at “no more traffic jams”. This is just icing on the cake. Bring it on!
Well i prefer to shop online rather than shopping at shopping malls. The billing counter waiting time is too much.
It’s amazing how fast technology is changing the way we live, even in the simplest things.
The possibilities seem endless with IoE!
Interesting and another great usecase could be Airports and the horrible checkin lines, immigration queues..
The future of shopping is amazing 🙂
The relevance and bsuiness potential for such IT drivers is highlighted by the fact that over on ethird of customers today actually leave the store without making a single purchase due to the daunting check out lines wherein they would rather not wait in line to give their money! This is a cazy statistic since the store is actually asking customers to wait for handing over their money to it!
It will be interesting to follow the development IoE
Test purpose
WOw! Very great infofrmation! I am enginer Cisco.
an alteration is the main mutual in global advance, your article the one way can be precedented.
The whole idea is not about the choice between using or not using the Internet. The challenge is to use it right.