Humanity is constantly evolving. We are now living in an amazing time when machine guns are replacing people in many areas. And even where, it seems, they cannot replace a person for a long time, they can be found. In the framework of this article we will consider what are self-service cash registers. How to use them will also be discussed.
general information
So what exactly is a self-checkout counter? This technology has long been known and is widely used in foreign retail chains. Self-service cash registers can be found in North America (to a lesser extent in South) and Western Europe. They also penetrate the space of the former USSR. It can be assumed that in a decade we will meet them even in Africa and Asian countries.
Automation of trade allows you to free up human resources and direct people to solving other tasks that are not yet performed by mechanical assistants. Self-service checkout terminals are expected to double in size over the next four years. True, this is only an assumption, since in reality it will be affected by the expansion of existing networks, the development of the technological component and overall progress.
Where can I meet them?
Self-service cash registers are most often used in large retail chains. And not surprising - because these are large-scale projects that include the supply of sophisticated equipment, as well as the integration of software into a common store account. Just working with the latter is the most complex and expensive component of such a change. Since you have to spend a lot of money, a similar development path is not yet profitable for individual stores or small chains. But if there are a lot of objects where this miracle of technology is installed, then they pay off quickly enough. After all, the software component is honed only for the first trading facility, and the rest just purchases equipment and connects to an existing system.
Benefits
When self-service cash desks are used and trade automation is introduced, this creates such positive aspects:
- Customer service is accelerated and queues are reduced.
- The load on cashiers is reduced and the amount of staff costs is reduced.
- Improving the quality of service. Using advanced technologies, the human factor is eliminated, which has a significant impact on the level of service, the speed of execution of functions, and minimizes the number of errors.
- Customer satisfaction. Most people give a positive assessment of their experience with advanced technologies. The automatic checkout is no exception to this. During the introduction of this technology, it was noticed that people who interacted with it were more willing to make repeated contact. This is explained not only by saving time, but also by an elementary unwillingness to interact with other people.
- Transfer to the buyer part of the functions of the cashier. It is believed that this opportunity allows people to better feel the process of acquisition and increases loyalty.
- Optimization of the sales process. When a self-service area is introduced, it can significantly save sales space for auxiliary services and place more goods.
- Quick payback in large stores. Investments are returned due to savings on wages over a period of 12-15 months.
In order to resist theft, enhanced video surveillance and weight control technology are used.
Implementation on the territory of the Commonwealth of Independent States
The best situation here is in the Russian Federation and Ukraine. In Russia, the greatest experience is in Auchan. Russian experience suggests that people save about 40 percent of their time in self-service. Just satisfied 97% of all who interacted with these wonders of automation. But a breakthrough was outlined not only in large stores, but also in small representatives of huge chains. So, self-checkout counters are installed in Magnet. It is initially planned that there will be 2000 of them. This process began in 2016. But, given the number of stores, the potential benefits and opportunities, it can be assumed that the self-service checkouts at Magnit will replace people in five years. Just imagine how much time will be saved! Globus is not far behind. Self-service checkouts here also receive praise from customers. In Ukraine, the first such technological innovations were installed in Kiev in December 2013.
Service
For the first time, self-service cash desks appeared back in 1992 in Europe and North America. Therefore, they cannot be called something new, especially there. In the third millennium, this technology has received significant development. It can be assumed that in a decade or two, cashiers will be workers on the verge of extinction. In order for this technology to conquer its market, manufacturers provide broad support for their solutions. In addition to the maintenance of the hardware, they train personnel in the specifics of work. Now there are four main players in this market.
How does it work?
Self-service cash desks have calculating machines that allow you to automate the cash flow that is used in stores. In the future, this system will allow you to credit money immediately to your bank account. Thus, cash is withdrawn in the trading process. What is also interesting is that you can give money at least in a bundle or fill up a handful of coins. To solve various non-standard situations, there is an assistant station with which you can remotely monitor what is happening at the point. Making a comparison, we can say that this is, in fact, a desktop for cash registers.
An important advantage of the equipment is the fact that the model assembly has become widespread. If you change the components of technology, then at the output you can get a very wide range of functionality. True, such machines weigh a lot - about half a ton. Speaking of technology, it can be compared in some way with the assembly line.
Theft Control
This is a pretty important aspect. It happens as follows:
- A person first scans a product.
- The system compares the received data with that stored in its database (a previously known value).
- The buyer transfers the goods to the package, under which there is a weighing platform.
- If the weight values match, then everything is fine. If not, the technique responds accordingly.
But what if fruits that have different weights are sold? In such cases, significant algorithmic work is carried out. If we talk about its essence in a simplified manner, then each barcode is “molded” by the weight and the permissible range of fluctuations in the values. For some goods it is large, for others it is small.
Software specifics
There is one interesting aspect of implementation. The fact is that there is no program in its classical sense. If we simplify the procedure, we can conditionally single out the presence of a program that implements a graphical interface. The buyer, when he clicks on the buttons, calls certain methods. They, in turn, tighten the data structure, where there is all the necessary information like the name of the product, its price, quantity and other things. This has its advantages. So you can integrate into any data structure. But there are also disadvantages in the form of implementation restrictions that the interface has. In other words, it is impossible to display information that was not previously provided.
Conclusion
Such a technique as self-service cash desks is, albeit, a small, but still a step, within which humanity becomes even closer to the moment when all the usual, monotonous and not requiring creativity work will be transferred to the shoulders of mechanical assistants.
In the meantime, if you look with the eye of an experienced engineer, you can notice even more problems that have not been resolved. So, for example, you still have to keep a guard. And no wonder - otherwise people could simply leave, taking the goods with them, and not one, even the most modern anti-theft system, could resist them. Although, seeing how fast the development of technologies is, it can be assumed that in the future there will be ideas that solve this problem. And then another sphere (trade) will completely transfer to the power of technology. Is this good or bad? Rather, the first, because people will have an incentive to act more efficiently and learn more and improve.