Mobile self-checkout systems in the FMCG retail sector: A comparison analysis

Abstract. New business models are emerging in the FMCG retail sector due to the wide diffusion of digitaltechnologies; innovative tools - such as Pervasive Retailing Information Systems - are wide spreading allover the world aiming to increase customer loyalty and retailer performance. Furthermore, the recent massdiffusion of mobile technologies is also contributing to modify customer satisfaction towards the shoppingprocess. In this context, new generations of self-service systems – i.e. mobile Self-Checkout Systems(mSCSs)- are becoming widely adopted by FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) retail companies: theaim is to both speed up the customer-shopping trip and increase customer satisfaction. A mSCS is a self-checkout system based on mobile technology. Traditionally, self-checkout systems have been applied tospeed up the customer purchase process; impacts on retailer performance could also be evaluated in orderto optimize labor force at store level. The paper proposes a comparison analysis about the application ofdifferent types of mSCSs at FMCG retail stores: the study will focus on analyzing quantitatively impactson time based metrics both from the customer and the retailer points of view. The study will be helpfulfor practitioners in designing their own mSCS; furthermore, a structured model for evaluating potentialimpacts of innovative technologies at the retail sector as a result. Finally, a discrete-event simulation modelhas been developed to quantitatively compare different mSCSs in a case study.Keywords: Mobile Self-Checkout system, FMCG, NFC, customer satisfaction, customer cycle time,scenario analysis