A new technology from Diebold Nixdorf illustrates the power of technology to transform the way grocery shoppers shop today.

The company’s Vynamic Smart Vision system is an AI-powered checkout solution designed to combat shrink. It uses an AI system from SeeChange’s, a machine learning cloud platform that makes integrating new technologies across multiple store locations easier for retailers.

Since its introduction earlier this year, Vynamic Smart Vision has gotten rave reviews from customers, said Matt Miles, Diebold Nixdorf’s director of Americas Retail.

“Our retail partners are excited for an effective solution that reduces the most common sources of loss and delays at the checkout, that’s easy to implement and scale and is consumer-friendly.”

One-third of shoppers have used self-service kiosks or have used mobile ordering from an APP / via QR code from independent online grocery shopping company, according to a Supermarket Perimeter commissioned study conducted by Cypress Research.

Forty-three percent of shoppers have used perimeter self-service kiosks, and 26% of those who don’t are interested in doing so. Further, 6 in 10 shoppers are satisfied with ordering technologies when shopping in a physical store.

In some of the early pilots for Vynamic Smart Vision, Diebold Nixdorf has been able to achieve over 80% self-rectification for a number of clients, Miles said.

“It’s enabled us to reduce shrink at self-service checkouts by over 75% in live deployments.”

Cutting-edge technologies like Vynamic Smart Vision have helped Diebold Nixdorf gain a bigger and bigger slice of the self-service technology market.

According to the data from research and consulting firm RBR Data Services, a division of Datos Insights, Diebold Nixdorf became the second largest vendor for self-service checkouts globally, with shipments increased by more than 60%, Miles said.

“We are growing faster than the market and we are thrilled to see that retailers rely on our strong consultative approach for checkout concepts that matter, our innovative portfolio of POS and self-service technology, our software and retail automation solutions and our managed services expertise.”

In addition to increased use of AI, Miles said that more and more grocery retailers will start equipping their store associates with wearables or mobile devices to improve shopper experiences.

Such technologies, he said, will make employees more helpful, informed and effective — for example, when helping customers find desired items or additional product information.

They can also get automatic alerts when there’s a technical issue with one of the systems, when a customer scores below the automatic age verification threshold or decides not to opt in — among many other examples, Miles said.

The most important thing retailers need to do when adopting a new technology, Miles said, is to offer shoppers choices on how they interact with the technology and to provide support when needed.

“Offering guidance and support by staff members or signage can significantly increase the adoption of new tech installations as fewer shoppers will hesitate to use it. Customer facing solutions must be easy and intuitive to use to gain lasting and widespread adoption.”

If there’s a steep learning curve to use a new technology, he added, that becomes a barrier to adoption. 

Insights from the 2024 Supermarket Tech Trends and the Consumer study:

• 45% of consumers are concerned about product damage during packing/delivery; 38% are concerned about substituted items.
• 83% view money saving technology strategies from grocery retailers most important.
• 74% view technology’s quick, effortless shopping experience as most important.
• One-third have used self-service kiosks or mobile ordering from an app / via QR code from independent online grocery shopping company.
• 43% have used perimeter self-service kiosks.
• 6 in 10 are satisfied with ordering technologies when shopping in a physical store.
• More than 7 in 10 shoppers have used staffed and unstaffed self-checkout.
• 44% have used mobile payments; 3 in 10 have used some type of omnichannel payment.
• Only about 1 in 10 have used/experienced advanced supermarket technologies.
• Two-thirds have used fresh perimeter-related loyalty programs.
• Half have used digital marketing for perimeter department direct offers/coupons.
• 37% have used direct grocery store online ordering.
• One-quarter have used QR codes that unlock discounts in the fresh perimeter.

This article is an excerpt from the August 2024 issue of Supermarket Perimeter. You can read the entire Technology and the Consumer feature and more in the digital edition here.