Consumers Rank Speed as Top Reason for Self-Checkout
ATLANTA — NCR Voyix Corp.'s "2025 Commerce Experience Report" explored consumer sentiment to shed light on how grocery, fuel, convenience and dining purchase behaviors are changing.
Technology
Stepping inside the store, the report found that shoppers choose self-checkout for various reasons — the top one being speed. Seventy-seven percent of shoppers prefer self-checkout because it's faster than staffed checkout. More than one-third of shoppers (36%) prefer self-checkout because it has shorter lines, while 43% prefer to bag their items.
Broken out by generation, Generation Z and millennial grocery shoppers are the biggest adopters of self-checkout. The majority (63%) of Gen Z shoppers, ages 18 to 29, prefer self-checkout, as do 45% of millennial shoppers (ages 30 to 44), the report noted.
Among those who do not regularly use the checkout option, 60% of shoppers who do not frequent self-checkout would be more inclined to do so if grocery stores made it easier to check out with more than 15 items.
In other technology news, grocery stores are implementing more smart technology at the checkout to combat shrinkage — and shoppers are taking notice, according to NCR Voyix. Consumers have encountered the following technologies at the checkout recently:
- A camera detecting if you skipped scanning an item and prompting you to try again (42%)
- Scanners that can recognize produce (32%)
- Age/ID verification technology (28%)
- Smart carts/baskets — for example, computer vision checkout system that does not require you to scan a barcode, uses cameras and a weight sensor to detect products (12%)
Loyalty
More than half of consumers (54%) expect the cost of their typical grocery purchases to increase in 2025. As such, more consumers (56% this year vs. 46% last year) are making an effort to shop where they can find the best deals and looking at rewards/loyalty programs to save.
Seventy percent of survey respondents say they are members of a grocery store loyalty program, outpacing fuel convenience (54%) and restaurants (51%), and most 75% of grocery store rewards members receive personalized offers daily to weekly.
Convenience & Fuel
Convenience stores and gas stations are raising the bar, and consumers are paying attention, the report found. Most consumers (53%) have gone out of their way to visit a specific gas station because they favor its convenience store.
Additionally, 27 % of consumers prefer the food options of specific c-stores, while others like the loyalty programs (37%) and easy ways to pay (36%).
Dining
Like at the grocery store, inflation is driving higher restaurant price, and consumers feel the effects. Most consumers (84%) choose limited-service restaurants to save extra cash.
In the past six months, 35% of consumers have dined at a fast-casual restaurant more than five times. Comparatively, in the past six months, 26% of consumers have dined at a full-service restaurant more than five times, the report noted.
[Read more: Consumers Prioritize Cooking at Home as Food Costs Rise]
Looking further at inflation-driven behavior, 55% of survey respondents have cut back on their delivery habits because of inflation — either ordering less in general (38%) or ordering from less expensive restaurants (17%). Higher prices have also impacted how consumers tip; 56% either tip less or only tip at full-service restaurants.
When asked what technologies they would like to see more of from restaurants, self-service kiosks (39%), table-top ordering (37%), and digital payments (32%) were among the top three, according to NCR Voyix.
The Future of Customer Experiences
As the future of customer experiences continues to evolve, consumers are looking for more smart technology, enhanced checkout options, product personalization and convenience.
"It's tried and true, but businesses really do win when they focus on customer experience," said David Wilkinson, CEO at NCR Voyix. "Our data shows consumers want more technology present to simplify checkout, greater personalization and loyalty rewards. It also shows that when places like fuel convenience and limited-service restaurants provide quality products at affordable prices, it pays off. Businesses will continue to adapt to changing consumer expectations in the year ahead and lean on new technology even more to be competitive."
Click here for details on the "2025 Commerce Experience Report" by NCR Voyix.
NCR Voyix commissioned a blind survey of American consumers in November 2024 to understand how dining, grocery, and convenience and fuel purchase behaviors are changing. Respondents to the online survey included a total of 1,044 American consumers.
Headquartered in Atlanta, NCR Voyix is a leading global provider of digital commerce solutions for the retail and restaurant industries.
