Self-checkout at grocery stores gaining in popularity: report

Younger shoppers prefer to complete their grocery shopping experience through the self-checkout line.

Digital commerce solutions provider NCR Voyix Corporation released key findings from its Digital Commerce Index, which explores how dining, grocery, and fuel convenience purchase behaviors are changing.

The Index shows self-checkout is gaining in terms of preference as 43% of shoppers would rather handle the transaction on their own vs. traditional checkout, and 53% of consumers aged 18 to 44 choose self-checkout.

“Self-checkout is evolving to offer a quicker and more user-friendly experience,” said David Wilkinson, CEO of NCR Voyix. “The reality is shoppers want more control over their checkout experience and self-checkout delivers that flexibility.

“For retailers, self-checkout enhances operational efficiency in a time when many are struggling to retain staff and are combatting unprecedented levels of shrink.”

The survey showed older shoppers (45 to 60 ) would rather roll through traditional checkout lines because they have more groceries and believe the regular lane is less time consuming.

Additionally, two-thirds of survey respondents prefer to shop for groceries in the store rather than online.

Challenges of e-shopping include out-of-stock items, incorrect deliveries, or unfulfilled orders.

Also, nearly two in five survey respondents said they decided to abandon an online order because of high service fees.

The latest Brick Meets Click/Mercatus Grocery Shopper Survey showed that online grocery orders were down 1.2% in 2023.