By George Anderson
The supermarket industry became a powerhouse in American retailing through the concept of self-service. Now, Giant Foods is taking self-service into the future with a new concept store in Camp Hill, Pa.
"Today’s competitive grocery retail environment has driven retailers to utilize technology as a key customer service advantage for their shoppers. Giant understands that their customers lead busy lives and they want to make it easier and more convenient to shop in their stores," said Bob Bailey, executive vice president, Agilysys, which worked with the supermarket chain to create an "interactive grocery shopping experience" for its shoppers.
Tony Schiano, president and CEO, Giant Food Stores said the technology employed in the 91,200 square-foot concept store goes beyond common applications such as self-checkout and standalone kiosks.
Among the tools being used in the store to help bring convenience to the shopping experience are hand-held scanners integrated with the store's POS and self-checkouts and multipurpose kiosks with 23 self-service applications.
The kiosks are intended to assist shoppers to complete many in-store tasks, such as pre-ordering from the bakery, deli or pharmacy simply by touching a screen. Shoppers can also receive personalized offers and coupons based on their shopping history.
Moderator's Comment: Will going to a more self-serve model make supermarkets more competitive with other channels? What do you expect will be the reaction of consumers to this new automated self-serve store environment? - George Anderson - Moderator