Survey: Checkout could stand improvement

Beaverton, Ore. – Consumers have judged the checkout experience, and found it wanting. According to a new survey of about 2,000 U.S. adults conducted by Harris Poll for barcode technology provider Digimarc Corp., 88% of respondents want their store checkout experience to be faster.



In particular, a combined 50% name slow checkout speeds and long lines as their top grievances. Another 61% agree that clerks focus most on scanning items and less on finding out if they’re satisfied. And a large group (30%) say they feel like a burden to the clerk and other customers when they have a full cart.



The survey also suggests that self-checkout (which nearly three quarters have avoided) could be more appealing if technical problems were reduced. Of those who avoid self-checkout, 43% cited technical or bar-code scanning difficulties as reasons they avoid the self-checkout lane.



Furthermore, the survey shows that many consumers would like to use smartphones to scan packaging to get additional product information.