With Developments in Technology, What Will Payment Areas Look Like in 2018?

Many of these innovations have been in testing over the last few years, but 2018 could be a pivotal year. If you want to learn more about what check out areas will look like in the coming year, we will show you some significant innovations in the check out process which will offer a much better shopping experience to your customers.

 

Focus on the Payment Area

Apart from payment methods, we are seeing the start of an evolution (and a revolution) in the customer’s experience during the payment process. In many establishments, check out lanes and payment points are changing, with a focus on making the purchasing process easier and improving user experience.

In the face of competition with online shopping websites, which often seem to be more customer-friendly, physical establishments have to maximize their strengths and, at the same time, minimize their alleged disadvantages.

 

Make Payment Areas More Flexible So That They Can Adapt to the Store’s Needs at Any Time

One of the first advances we saw was the automated sale, a charging system that provides customers with a much more advanced experience, because it saves time and shortens time spent standing in lines. However, automated charging solutions usually need to be flexible, so that automated and traditional payment options coexist in the same commercial space to be able to adapt to the needs of both the store and its customers.

In this sense, HMY is always at the forefront and they have collaborated with INFOMIL to design a new type of check out, which adapts to new trends and its customers’ needs at all times.

The name of this new type of check out is Beetwo, and its main feature is its versatility. These check outs can function as traditional payment points in which the cashier charges the customer, but they can also function as automatic charging stations in which the customer is the one who scans their products and makes their payment. This exchange is also very fast, so it can be done during peak times of heavy traffic.

The name Beetwo comes from the word bee as well as its ability to function as two types of check out areas, and it is expected to be a very influential trend in the coming year, especially in bigger stores, as it allows for maximum use of resources in every sense, both for the business and for its users.

Large retail stores have been the pioneers in testing out new types of check out areas. Carrefour is one of the companies that is opting for multiformat check outs in its hypermarkets, in order to offer a more customer-friendly shopping experience and to adapt to the current needs of their customers.

 

Automated Commercial Spaces

Alcampo is trying out new forms of check out stations, with very interesting concepts, especially in China. There, they are implementing the concept of automatic mini supermarkets, which consist of a space of 18 square meters in which the customer identifies themselves and makes their purchase through the WeChat app. In addition to this, in one of their traditional supermarkets, they offer a payment system in which no one is checking customers out.

Amazon is proposing something similar at its Amazon Go store in Seattle, where customers just have to pick up what they want and walk out the door. Virtual sensors and detection systems are in charge of calculating the bill and making the charge after the customer leaves the locale.

In a slightly different case which also implies changing the concept of payment, the chain Ahold Delhaize has implemented a cashless payment system in one of its establishments in the Netherlands. This system, called ‘Tap to go,’ is carried out through an application and an electronic card linked to the customer’s bank account. This not only saves time when it comes to paying at the cash register, but also allows a for more use of the useful spaces in the store.

 

Security Concerns in Payment

There are also some other big companies that are committed to innovation and are taking advantage of new technologies to improve their check out areas. In this regard, KFC has been receiving attention for developing payment through facial recognition technology in its locations in China. The use of this technology is something that draws attention and skepticism, but it has been shown to be quite safe thanks to a double verification system and in fact it is also used by some ATMs for money withdrawals.

To conclude, in the scramble to offer distinctive customer experiences, payment processes are no longer being disregarded. Instead, most innovations in check out areas aim for the customer to be able to enjoy a more efficient and satisfactory experience, not only during the payment process, but throughout the entire purchasing process.