Innovations in Managing and Controlling Retail [Self] Checkout

Context

The checkout space in retailing is undergoing significant change, with many retailers, especially grocers, looking to expand the use of self-checkouts (SCO), in its many forms, to both reduce friction from the customer journey and to improve store productivity.

However, recent ECR research has once again highlighted some of the challenges of managing SCO systems, including the problems of miss-scanning, non-scanning, ‘walkaways’, customer and staff frustration with the reliability and useability of the technology itself, and concerns about the most appropriate forms of layout and access control.

To discuss these and other issues relating to the evolving checkout space in retailing, ECR Retail Loss will be hosting a unique in-person meeting, bringing together those responsible for managing and designing the front end of stores, loss prevention specialists, self-checkout experts, and representatives from IT, representing leading retailers from around the world.  

The focus of the meeting will be ‘innovation’ and over two days, the attendees will have the opportunity, via retailer case studies, speed dating and design and brainstorming sessions, to develop a more detailed and comprehensive overview of new developments in this area. In addition, there will also be plenty of time for informal catch ups, including an evening networking event.

Meeting Objectives

Ultimately, the purpose of the meeting is to give attendees clear and actionable outcomes from attending, including:

1)      Gaining unique insights from case study reviews, benchmarking, and brainstorming sessions

2)      Acquiring a clear understanding of how new ideas in technology, design, process, and people can play a role in growing participation and reducing losses.

3)      Establishing contacts with an effective and trusted network of “checkout” experts.

Meeting Agenda

Wednesday June 21st   

From 11.30am: Arrivals & Coffee

12.00 Start: Introductions, Expectations & Agenda (includes light working lunch)

To set the scene, and start conversations early, each participant will be expected to share their top two most recent checkout capability ‘successes’ together with their top two ambitions for the next 12 months.

1.00pm: SCO Research Learnings to Date (Professor Adrian Beck)

ECR have been researching SCO for over a decade and in this session Professor Beck will synthesise the learnings to date on the impact of SCO and how it can be better measured, managed, and controlled.

1.30pm: Coffee

2.00pm: Retailer Deep Dive Case Study: Managing Scan Avoidance

A retailer will share their journey on SCO, including the lessons learnt and results from the deployment of scan avoidance technology. The group will then discuss the key learning points from this case study.

3.30pm: Coffee

4.00pm: Innovation Challenge – Speed Dating

Small groups of 3-4 retailers will each ‘speed date’ with representatives from up to 12 innovation companies focussed upon the checkout environment, including new training approaches, new technologies to reduce losses, workforce planning innovations, and more.

6.00pm: Informal Networking Evening

A chance to relax, enjoying drinks and pizza with peers in an informal setting

8.00pm: Close

Thursday June 22nd  

8.00am

Coffee and Light Breakfast

8.30am

Day One Review

Participants will have the opportunity to share their learnings from the first day.

9.00am

Self-Checkout Design Challenge

Introduced by Professor Lorraine Gamman and Professor Paul Ekblom from the Design Against Crime Research Centre, retailers and their student partners will share design ideas focussed upon responding to the challenges previously identified by ECR research on the experiences of SCO supervisors.

10.00am

Coffee (and Voting)

10.30am

Self-Checkout Design Challenge: Results & Prize Giving

Participants will be given the opportunity to select the ‘best’ design idea with the winning students receiving an award.

10.45am

Brainstorm – Priority Setting

In small groups, participants will be asked to brainstorm what they believe should be the top 2-3 priorities for improving the management and control of SCO in the future, focussed upon: people/guardianship; technologies; store design and layout; and business processes, for both Fixed and Scan and Go/Mobile SCO. Each group will then be asked to feedback to the main group their priorities for each of the four areas.

12.30pm

Reflections, Benefits, Concerns and Next Steps

Participants will be given the opportunity to reflect upon their original expectations for the meeting and their own ambitions for the evolution of checkout in their businesses over the next 12 months, including how these may have changed in light of the topics covered and discussions held as part of the meeting.

1.00pm

Close [and light lunch for those that do not need to leave at 1pm]

Meeting Location

Goodenough College, Mecklenburgh Square, London WC1N 2AB. A list of low-cost hotels to be shared.    

Costs

There is no cost to participate and attend, other than the participants’ own travel and accommodation costs. 

Next Steps

If your business is interested in sending participants, please send confirmation to colin@ecrloss.com