Self-service Technology for Hypermarket Checkout Stations

Abstract

The self-service technology innovation in hypermarket retailing has led to the shopping activity being served by the shopper themselves without relying on any service provider. However, this concept is still not implemented in Malaysia where the self-service concept is still supported by the service provider at the checkout station. This paper is suggesting that a new innovation should be implemented in the Malaysian hypermarket retailing industry by adopting self-service technology at the hypermarket checkout station. This research is developed based on observation conducted at various hypermarket retailing outlets within Malaysia. The findings from the general literature reviews are also gathered to strengthen the existing idea. The focus of this research is on the hypermarket retailing industry within Malaysia, especially in urban areas. Due to the modernization of the shopping trend, it is suggested that the timing might be right to explore implementing the concept of entirely self-service at hypermarkets in Malaysia to enhance the flow efficiency and effectiveness of the checkout operations. It is strongly believed that the introduction of this completely self-service shopping experience will be highly adopted, especially by the young generation in urban areas. This research explores the opportunity to enhance hypermarket retailing operations by upgrading the existing manual checkout station into self-service checkout stations using modern technology. It is expected that the idea for a totally self-service checkout system could be implemented in practice through the robust findings from this research.

The Role of Methods of Service Encounter and Surprise in Customer Delight and Customer Loyalty in Indonesian Supermarkets

“…When customers utilize these terminals, they are essentially creating their own value without any interaction with the firm (Meuter et al, 2000;Rafiah & Ariyanti, 2017). Self-checkout terminals are not as widely implemented in some Southeast Asian industries as it is in most Western industries (Hassan, Sade, & Rahman, 2014), but it would be of interest to observe how customers react to this newfangled technology and how willing they are in using it. Traditional service encounters: Traditional service encounters simply refer to face-to-face interactions between employees and customers (Meuter et al, 2000).…”

“…This finding is especially evident in collectivistic societies such as Indonesia. Indonesians are prone to observe and emulate the actions of the majority and are less likely to engage in niche trends, such as using self-checkout systems, which currently do not have a widespread presence in Southeast Asia (Hassan et al, 2014;Vashista & Balaji, 2013). Therefore, it can be assumed that it is not the SST itself that pushes customers to continue or stop purchasing from a specific supermarket or to spread WOM about it, but rather the awareness of other customers towards the SST.…”

Factors affecting store image and the choice of hypermarkets in Oman

“…The decision to patronize a particular hypermarket largely depends on the benefits that customers derive from it. Identification of which customer values to offer and making such deliveriesfor example, offering a self-service shopping experience to the younger generation as revealed by Hassan et al (2014) can offer retailers some competitive advantage, contributing in turn to their technical efficiency and overall effectiveness (El-Adly and Eid, 2015). The retail concept, the channel mix, and the environmental context were three important sources of competitive advantage behind Auchan's legendary success in France (Roberts, 2005;Roberts, 2013).…”