Grocery checkout, Italian style

DIY checkout or self-scanning has long been called the next big thing in supermarkets, but perhaps because of the hellish line situation, Inferno-familiar Italians were quick to adopt them.

Unicoop Firenze was the first Italian retailer to introduce self-scanning in its stores back in 1998. Now, Unicoop has decided to continue the evolution of self-scanning solution in the remainder of its stores.

According to a recent survey conducted in the supermarkets of Unicoop Firenze, the self-scanning system is used mainly because the consumer can avoid wasting time and repetitive operations, even if a small percentage of the consumers states that they use it simply because it is fun.

Furthermore, with this system the number of men tempted to go shopping has increased.

It is particularly appreciated by many elderly people because they can keep the amount they spend under constant control.

Another surprising fact is that the percentage of errors (or thefts) is extremely low: just 0.3%.

Read story in Wired MagazineRead press release about self-scanning in the USADownload Coop Firenze case study (pdf, 508 kb, 2 pages)