Dive Brief:
- Parker’s Kitchen and Wesco reached agreements this week to bring self-checkout kiosks to dozens more of their convenience stores, according to announcements from both companies.
- Parker’s, which operates 94 c-stores across Georgia and South Carolina, has brought NCR Voyix’s kiosks to 62 of its locations with plans for future expansion. Wesco, which has 55 c-stores in Michigan, is bringing Mashgin’s AI-powered machines to 20 of its stores.
- While self-checkout has become a staple across the industry, many c-store chains are still experimenting with how the technology can best meet their needs.
Dive Insight:
Self-checkout may not be the best option for all convenience retailers. Experts suggest that before implementing the tech, operators must figure out where in their stores the machines would go and how their employees and customers would respond to it.
Such questions seem to be answered for Parker’s and Wesco, both of whom are expanding their partnerships with NCR and Mashgin, respectively, after trial runs.
Parker’s noted that NCR’s kiosks have helped customers complete their purchases quickly and independently, and have helped team members monitor and assist several customers at once, especially during peak shopping times.
“Our team members can assist three customers at once, rather than one, resulting in faster checkout times and more efficient service,” said Scott Smith, senior director of IT at Parker’s.
Meanwhile, Wesco said that during its pilot with Mashgin, the kiosks “accelerated nearly half a million transactions at over 10 Wesco locations.” Wesco also said that the kiosks have allowed shoppers to get in and out quicker, freeing up associates to attend to other tasks around the store.
"Our customers have quickly taken to love Mashgin's machines — and we've loved working with them,” said Nancy Westgate-Sytsema, co-president of Wesco. "Both the technology and the team are extremely responsive, exactly what we look for in a technology partner.”
