Supermarket Offers Higher Level of Customer Service
Netherlands - Self scanning solution from Re-Vision chosen by Carrefour to provide shopping convenience
Re-Vision, a provider of self-scanning solutions, and Carrefour Belgium, a leading Belgian retailer, have announced the further roll-out of the self-scanning technology to some more Carrefour stores in Belgium.
The first
phase of this joint project involves implementing self-scanning
throughout 40 stores till the end of 2010.
Carrefour Belgium was the first in Carrefour Group to introduce
the innovative shopping method of self-scanning with Re-Vision
in a pilot store in September 2009.
The new technology quickly
gained a high level of customer acceptance, largely due to the
progressive marketing campaign developed by Carrefour Belgium.
Based on this successful pilot, Carrefour started to roll-out
the system in March 2010 to its hypermarkets and integrated
supermarkets across Belgium.
After extensive market research and an in-depth selection
process by Carrefour Belgium, the best-of-breed combination of
the Motorola MC17T retail mobile computer, powered by the
My-Scan software solution from Re-Vision, was chosen to support
the roll-out, providing the required functionality and
integration flexibility.
What is self-scanning?
Self-scanning is a modern shopping method whereby customers use
a mobile device to self-scan items while shopping. The system
implemented in the Belgian Carrefour shops is called My-Scan,
and consists of a pool of portable barcode scanners (50 to 250,
depending on the size of the store).
To use a scanner, the
customer must swipe their Carrefour Bonus Card at the store
entrance, after which he or she can proceed with self-scanning
barcodes on the products as they shop. Having finished the
shopping trip, the customer can proceed directly to the payment
station, without the need to wait in line at a traditional
checkout.
This approach enables customers to have an enriched shopping
experience: firstly, they save time by not having to place
groceries on the conveyor belt and repack; instead, they can
directly pack the goods from the shelves into their bags.
Secondly, waiting time is reduced, as the client proceeds to a
self-payment kiosk or a reserved counter.
The hand-scanner also helps customers to manage their spending budget – a list of all the goods in their basket, as well as the total amount of the purchase, is visible on the screen at any time.
Customer acceptance of self-scanning
The challenge of gaining customer acceptance often holds back
the decision to embrace self-scanning technology. At Carrefour
Belgium, a special marketing programme was developed to ensure
customers were aware of the benefits of self-scanning.
People
are naturally wary of new technology, however research has shown
that once someone has used self-scanning, they find it a fast
and efficient way to shop and tend to stay loyal to the system,
and hence to the store. Interestingly enough, the system is used
by customers of all age groups and education levels. Once the
roll-out is complete, Carrefour Belgium hopes to have 25% of
their customers using the system.
Michel Haagmans, Director at Re-Vision, says:
“We believe that
self-scanning will revolutionise shopping. Many leading European
retailers are heavily investing in this technology as part of
their growth strategy. We at Re-Vision are delighted that
Carrefour has joined our rich portfolio of customers, which
already includes Coop, Tesco and a number of other major
European retailers. Our priority is to have customers up and
running very quickly, so that they can see the return on
investment within a short period of time”.
Walter Simons, Director Business Solutions IT-Stores at
Carrefour Belgium, comments:
"Introducing self-scanning has increased the supermarket's popularity with customers because this option offers them more control over the time spent in the store. We at Carrefour Belgium are very happy with the first results of the project – our main goal was to make the shopping trip quick and enjoyable, from the moment our customer enters the store until the check-out. We now feel that they are getting a better service and benefit from a more relaxed shopping experience".
About Carrefour Belgium
Carrefour Belgium is one of the largest retailers on the Belgian
market. It provides the most convenient opening hours,
while offering an excellent level of service. Info:
www.carrefour.eu.
About Re-Vision
Re-Vision B.V. is one of the leading providers of mobile
self-scanning solutions. Benefiting from over 10 years of
development and investment around retail best practice CRM
principles, their core solution My-Scan became the market leader
for self-scanning and loyalty/CRM systems. Re-Vision is headquartered in the
Netherlands, with its global presence further strengthened by a
worldwide network of partners. Info:
www.re-vision.nl.
