McFarlane added that they have not estimated the operational cost savings of the U-scan since "the focus of the trial is about customer acceptance, not operational costs, and whether the self-checkout improves the level of customer service at the checkout".
Coles Myer's experience supports a white paper published by analysts IDC and IT vendor NCR corporation entitled "Self-Checkout Systems: Creating Value Across the Retail Store".
The paper states that Australian shoppers are warming to self-checkout systems and now prefer to shop where the facilities are available. It claims that around four million Australians would be more likely to shop at a store that offers self-checkout facilities as opposed to ones that don't.
The poll, conducted by Galaxy Research, determined that self-checkout is particularly popular among younger shoppers. Respondents in the 16 to 24 age group overwhelmingly (97 percent) believe that there are "tangible benefits" in the self-checkout system, with 71 percent saying speed was a key benefit.
As a result of self-checkout systems, customer service was improved across the store, with well-stocked shelves and enhanced store cleanliness.
-Kristyn Maslog-Levis
"I can't emphasise too much the amount of growth in the supply chain sector for 2005."
Bruce McCabe, S2 Intelligence
Write to the Editor at Technology and Business
* All fields are mandatory.