An In-Depth Review Of Self-Checkout POS Software

In a fast-evolving competitive market, customers demand the fastest and most efficient service. They start to expect the least amount of time standing in line to pay for their purchases. As a solution, most businesses today resort to a pos software and system that can help keep their customers happy by deploying a more advanced solution that can enable their shoppers to perform a self-checkout. For the last decade, specifically in the retail industry, the use of the self-checkout systems has been very dominant. Supermarket giants such as Wal-Mart and Tesco have employed the use of self-checkout pos software in their day-to-day operations. However, despite the recent advancements in such field, the self-checkout trend remains to be at freeze in some countries due to its high cost. A typical self-checkout lane can cost you $125,000 to install.

Whether it is in retail or hospitality, many businesses today have been increasingly using self-checkout pos software. According to a new study conducted by research firm in London, the use self-checkout terminals will most likely quadruple by the 2014. In 2008 alone, the sales of self-checkout terminals have totalled over 92,000 units worldwide, 73,000 of which is from the United States covering almost 80 percent of its global total. This particular data have showed how the figures doubled since 2007. Moreover, the same research firm, Retail Banking Research Ltd., predicts the numbers of self-checkout pos software to increase four times greater next year. They predict the numbers to reach an estimated count of 430,000 self-checkout units worldwide. Among these numbers, the United States is set to dominate the market covering over 30 percent of those who opt to use and sell self-checkout systems.

Using a self-checkout terminal system can be very beneficial for any type of business since it is highly customer driven. A typical self-checkout terminal, with pos software, comprises of a lane light, touch screen monitor, a basket stand, barcode scanner, payment module, and an ATM/Credit Card PIN pad. Its whole interface is simple and user-intuitive. Such a system allows your customers to scan any kind of item of any barcode and it can also help them select products from a graphical screen that are only available over the counter. It usually works by putting items in the bagging area where it shall be weighed in and computed, allowing your shoppers to choose from a wide range of payment options available in your system. Apart from its basic function for self-checkout, more advanced systems allow its customers to use their loyalty cards for discounts and promos. Most systems are also customizable in accordance to language, localization, and even a much-personalized adaption for left or right handed users.

Although they can be expensive, self-checkout counters and terminals offer many long-term advantages to a business. It reduces a customer’s overall checkout time. It also manages to create an illusion of privacy among your buyers, and at the same time, it offers you security knowing that their purchases can be tracked on different machines using a remote attendant post that alternatively secures your store from thievery or shoplifting.