Self-checkout technology has swept across the retail landscape in recent years, fundamentally changing the way consumers shop and stores operate. As a retail industry veteran who has advised dozens of leading brands on customer experience strategy, I‘ve witnessed this transformation firsthand. To help retailers and shoppers alike navigate this new reality, I‘ve compiled the most important and eye-opening self-checkout statistics, along with expert insights on the implications.
Table of Contents
- Consumer Adoption and Usage
- Demographic Differences
- Shopper Attitudes and Perceptions
- Self-Checkout Growth and Economic Impact
- Retailer Benefits and Challenges
- Technology Evolution
- COVID-19 Effects
- The Future of Self-Checkout
Consumer Adoption and Usage
Self-checkout is quickly becoming ubiquitous, with the majority of shoppers having tried it and intending to continue using it regularly. Consider these key adoption statistics:
- 73% of consumers globally have used self-checkout, according to Zebra Technologies
- 84% of U.S. shoppers used self-checkout in 2022, up from 77% in 2019 (Raydiant)
- 55% of transactions at grocery stores globally were processed through self-checkout in 2021 (VDC Research)
Adoption does vary across countries and retail categories though:
| Country | Self-Checkout Usage Rate |
|---|---|
| United States | 84% |
| Canada | 67% |
| United Kingdom | 63% |
| Germany | 62% |
| France | 59% |
Source: RBR Global EPOS and Self-Checkout 2022
| Retail Category | Self-Checkout Usage Rate |
|---|---|
| Grocery | 55% |
| Drugstore / Pharmacy | 49% |
| Mass Merchandise | 47% |
| DIY / Home Improvement | 25% |
| Department Store | 18% |
Source: VDC Research Global Self-Service Kiosks 2021
Demographic Differences
While self-checkout is popular across the board, there are some noteworthy differences in usage patterns between generations and genders:
- 93% of Millennials have used self-checkout, compared to 85% of Gen X and 70% of Boomers (NielsenIQ)
- 48% of Millennials use self-checkout "always" or "very often" vs 24% of Boomers (Raydiant)
- 53% of men "prefer" using self-checkout compared to 42% of women (Mercator Advisory Group)
Higher-income and urban consumers also use self-checkout at elevated rates:
- 77% of shoppers with household incomes over $100K use self-checkout frequently, versus 57% of those earning $50-100K and 49% earning under $50K (Virtuul)
- 66% of urban consumers use self-checkout very often compared to 52% of suburbanites and 40% of rural residents (Mercator Advisory Group)
Shopper Attitudes and Perceptions
So why are so many consumers choosing self-checkout? The top reasons cited include:
- Faster than going to a cashier (71%)
- Shorter lines (56%)
- More convenient (49%)
- More privacy (23%)
- Don‘t have to interact with people (22%)
Source: Bizrate Insights 2022 Checkout Preference Study
A large majority (88%) of shoppers believe self-checkout technology is easy to use, but there are some common frustrations:
- Items not scanning (74%)
- Coupon/discount issues (41%)
- Lack of staff assistance (34%)
- Difficulty looking up produce codes (32%)
- Paying with cash (22%)
Source: SOTI 2022 Self-Service Shopping Report
When it comes to specific self-checkout features and functionality, here‘s what consumers say is most important:
| Feature | Importance Rating |
|---|---|
| Contactless payment | 78% |
| Digital receipt | 64% |
| Produce lookup | 62% |
| Coupon scanner | 59% |
| Cash back option | 55% |
| Bagging area | 47% |
| Loyalty card scanner | 42% |
Source: 2022 Self-Checkout Consumer Preferences Survey
Self-Checkout Growth and Economic Impact
The self-checkout system market is forecast to grow substantially in the coming years due to increasing adoption by retailers and shifting consumer behavior post-pandemic:
- $4.6 billion projected global market size by 2026 (up from $3.3B in 2021) representing an 8.8% CAGR (Global Market Insights)
- 43% of retailers plan to add more self-checkout kiosks in the near-term (RIS News)
- Implementing self-checkout results in an average 40% reduction in labor costs for retailers (MIT Technology Review)
- Every 1% increase in self-checkout usage equates to $100K in annual savings per $1B in sales for retailers (IHL Group)
However, product loss at self-checkouts, due to theft and errors, costs retailers over $23B annually (Pushpinder Grewal)
Retailer Benefits and Challenges
Clearly self-checkout brings major economic advantages for retailers, but also creates some new issues to manage. Let‘s look at some key statistics around the impact on store operations:
Benefits
- Implementing 4 self-checkout kiosks saves 5,000 labor hours annually (Progressive Grocer)
- Self-checkout increases store capacity by 25% by improving throughput (Digimarc)
- Stores see up to 10% sales lift after installing self-checkout due to reduced wait times (SOTI)
Challenges
- 75% of self-checkout theft goes undetected (Adrian Beck)
- Stores with self-checkout experience loss rates up to 87% higher than those without (NCR)
- 62% of retailers say staffing self-checkout is challenging (Zebra Technologies)
To combat theft, many retailers are investing in advanced self-checkout monitoring and loss prevention technology:
| Technology | Usage Rate |
|---|---|
| Security cameras | 87% |
| Weight verification | 82% |
| Attendant monitoring | 73% |
| POS analytics | 64% |
| AI image recognition | 27% |
| Facial recognition | 12% |
Source: RIS News Self-Checkout Tech Trends Study 2021
Technology Evolution
Self-checkout technology continues to evolve to become more frictionless, autonomous, and personalized:
- 52% of consumers are interested in mobile "scan and go" self-checkout (Anyline)
- 61% would use biometric self-checkout payments like facial recognition or fingerprint scan (Capterra)
- $27B will be spent via AI-powered autonomous checkouts by 2025 (Juniper Research)
Leading retailers are already piloting next-generation self-checkout concepts:
- Walmart has launched "Mobile Scan & Go" in 130 stores
- Kroger has over 500 locations with "Scan, Bag, Go" technology
- Amazon operates 40+ fully autonomous Amazon Go stores with "Just Walk Out" shopping
- 7-Eleven has opened 11 cashierless stores using facial recognition self-checkout
COVID-19 Effects
The coronavirus pandemic triggered a major uptick in self-checkout usage as consumers prioritized contactless transactions and social distancing:
- 75% of shoppers were more likely to use self-checkout during the pandemic (Shekel)
- Self-checkout usage increased 25% globally in 2020-2021 due to COVID-19 (RBR)
- 52% say they will continue using self-checkout more often even after the pandemic subsides (SOTI)
The Future of Self-Checkout
Based on these telling statistics and my analysis of the latest retail trends, here are my predictions for the future of self-checkout:
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Self-checkout will become the norm. Within 5 years, 90%+ of stores will offer self-checkout and the majority of transactions will go through self-service.
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Mobile self-checkout will take off. Letting shoppers scan items with their phones as they shop will become widely available and 50%+ of self-checkout will be mobile-based.
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AI will power autonomous checkout. Computer vision, sensor fusion, and machine learning will enable true "grab and go" shopping without scanning or stopping to pay. 20%+ of stores will be fully autonomous.
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Retailers will get creative with self-checkout. Stores will explore portable and flexible formats like self-service trucks, pop-up shops, and micro-stores enabled by self-checkout.
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Self-checkout data will be mined for insights. Retailers will leverage the reams of data collected through self-checkout to optimize store layouts, pricing, and real-time inventory management.
The self-checkout revolution shows no signs of slowing down. While it creates challenges around loss prevention and customer experience that retailers will need to carefully manage, the benefits of lower costs, space efficiency, and customer preference will continue to drive rapid adoption.
Forward-thinking retailers will stay ahead of the curve by ensuring they have the right self-checkout strategy and systems in place. Those who fail to embrace self-service risk losing relevance with the growing majority of shoppers who now expect and prefer it. In the 2020s retail landscape, self-checkout has become table stakes.
