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What do shoppers like about self-checkout?

self-checkout
Consumers appreciate the speed of self-checkout.

One particular aspect of self-checkout might convince consumers who don’t use the technology to give it a try.

More than three-in-four (77%) consumers who choose self-checkout say they like that it is faster than traditional checkout. The 2025 Commerce Experience Report, a survey of U.S. consumers from NCR Voyix, also indicates 43% of respondents who use self-checkout prefer to bag their own items, while 36% appreciate that it generally has shorter lines.

In addition, 60% of respondents who do not frequent self-checkout said they would be more inclined to do so if grocery stores made it easier to check out with more than 15 items. 

Looking at a generational self-checkout preferences, the survey finds that Gen Z and millennial respondents are the biggest adopters of the technology. More than six-in-10 (63%) Gen Z respondents age 18-to-29 prefer self-checkout, as do 45% of millennial respondents age 30-to-44.

The survey also examined consumer preferences in a variety of other areas:

Cost concerns

More than half of respondents (54%) expect the cost of their typical grocery purchases to increase in 2025, and 57% are making a concerted effort to shop where they can find the best deals and looking at rewards/loyalty programs to save. 

The percentage of respondents seeking deals and loyalty programs is up significantly from 46% of respondents in 2024. Seven-in-10 respondents say they are members of a grocery store loyalty program, outpacing fuel convenience (54%), and restaurants (51%).

Three-in-four surveyed grocery store rewards members receive personalized offers daily to weekly.

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Convenience stores

More than half (53%) of respondents have gone out of their way to visit a specific gas station because they favor its convenience store. The top three aspects of a convenience store that respondents find appealing are loyalty programs (37%), easy payment methods (36%) and food options (27%).

Dining 

Most respondents (85%) choose limited-service restaurants to save extra cash. In the past six months, 36% of respondents have dined at a fast-casual restaurant over five times. 

Comparatively, in the past six months, 26% of respondents have dined at a full-service restaurant more than five times. Fifty-five percent of survey respondents have cut back on their food delivery habits because of inflation – either ordering less in general (38%) or ordering from less expensive restaurants (17%). 

When surveyed consumers were asked what technologies they would like to see more of from restaurants, self-service kiosks (39%), table-top ordering (37%), and digital payments (32%) were the top three responses. 

Grocery checkout technologies

Respondents reported encountering the following technologies at the checkout recently:

  • A camera detecting if you skipped scanning an item and prompting you to try again (42%)
  • Scanners that recognize produce (32%)
  • Age/ID verification technology (28%)
  • Smart carts/baskets (12%)

[READ MORE: Study: Consumers embrace some, but not all, automation]

"It’s tried and true, but businesses really do win when they focus on customer experience," said David Wilkinson, chief executive officer at NCR Voyix. "Our data shows consumers want more technology present to simplify checkout, greater personalization, and loyalty rewards. Businesses will continue to adapt to changing consumer expectations in the year ahead and lean on new technology even more to be competitive."

NCR Voyix commissioned a blind survey of American consumers in November 2024 to understand how dining, grocery, and fuel convenience purchase behaviors are changing.  

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