Why is self-service so important in convenience stores?
1. Customers’ high demand for convenience
What most customers look for in a convenience store is convenience. If customers have to spend much time on ordering and checkout, their purpose of going to a convenience store will be defeated. Quick service and short spending time are of great importance for office workers who are often in a hurry.
2. High labor costs
The convenience store staff are always busy. They have multiple tasks to deal with every day, such as handling transactions, preparing and serving food, restocking shelves, checking inventory levels, etc. As the labor costs are getting higher in these years, it’s expensive spending for operators to employ more staff. Compared to increase labor costs, it’s more cost-effective to invest in self-service kiosks in convenience stores.
3. High rental cost
Most convenience stores are located in business zones, where the rent is very high. Therefore, convenience stores usually take up a small space, which cannot provide ample space to accommodate many employees and customers waiting in line. The small store space puts forward a higher demand for higher serving and checkout efficiency offered by convenience stores.
What benefits do self-service kiosks bring to convenience stores?
1. Convenience
Convenience is the core value of convenience stores and self-service kiosks highlight this value. Customers could freely choose to check out by self-service. They don’t have to wait long and could check out for their goods in a short time. Customers could get what they want with a short stay at the store. The self-service kiosks make the 7/24 operation of convenience stores feasible. Even at midnight, customers could make their purchases successfully on the desktop kiosks placed at the counter by self-service scanning the commodity codes and paying.
2. High service speed
The self-service machines share a part of the work of convenience store staff so that staff could be dedicated to improving service quality, such as providing friendly assistance for customers and preparing food items. As staff could focus more on food preparation, the service speeds up and customers are able to enjoy a faster experience, which enhances their satisfaction.
3. High order accuracy
The self-service is fully controlled by customers and they can check their orders directly. On the touchscreen of the kiosk, they could correct the wrong orders by themselves, which saves more time. Besides, the effects of kiosks are highlighted especially in the food ordering process. After customers customize their orders, the orders can be directly transferred to the back kitchen, which eliminates the errors caused by communications.
4. Satisfactory customer experience
Self-service gives more autonomy to customers. On the kiosk display, the bargains and promotions are clearly displayed, and customers can freely make combinations according to their needs. What’s more, it’s easier for store operators to facilitate upselling in a way that customers don’t resent. The self-service technology delivers a more convenient and comfortable experience to customers that elevates customer satisfaction and loyalty.
5. Differentiation
Modern technology not only provides convenience for customers and staff but also elevates the enterprise’s image by shaping the innovation image. The advanced, modern, and intuitive self-service technology makes your convenience stores different from others and creates a more memorable experience for customers.
Embracing advanced technology and introducing self-service is one of the success recipes of Convenience Stores. Of course, selecting a reliable self-service kiosk provider is essential, too. Amitis is a smart terminal and solution provider with 10 years of manufacturing and customization experience.
What’s worth mentioning is that Amitis’s lightweight desktop kiosk, AK71, has been widely applied in convenience stores, fast food restaurants, and many other scenarios. With a built-in scanner, the Amitis AK71 supports both commodity scanning and QR code payments. The built-in 58mm thermal printer supports fast paper output and customers can easily check their order lists.
Welcome to contact us for more details. We have confidence that Amitis won’t let you disappoint.
Tag: self-service kiosks, kiosk, convenience store, self-service, desktop kiosk