UK Grocery Chain Booths Discontinues Self-Checkout
The UK supermarket chain Booths has announced it will remove self-checkout stations from most of its stores in response to customer feedback. The decision comes as other UK grocery chains continue to implement self-checkout.
Nigel Murray, Managing Director at Booths, said customers told the store self-checkout machines could be slow, unreliable, and impersonal. "We like to talk to people and we're really proud that we're moving largely to a place where our customers are served by people, by human beings, so rather than artificial intelligence, we're going for actual intelligence," Murray told BB Radio.
Booths plans to retain self-checkout at only two of its 28 locations.
U.S. Internet Users Spend More Time on Smartphones Than Computers
U.S. internet users now spend more time each day on smartphones than computers, according to The Global Media Intelligence Report 2023, published by the communications agency Starcom Worldwide. The survey of internet users aged 16 to 64 found the average time on smartphones daily was 3 hours and 37 minutes in the first half of 2023, a minute longer than time spent online with a computer. The average time on mobiles devices in Canada was 33 minutes lower, despite nearly universal smartphone ownership.
The report, which covers 47 countries in seven major regions of the world, observes that Western Europe does not fit predictable patterns of media consumption. While it lags in video and audio streaming, the region has embraced newer digital technologies like smartwatches and smart home products.
Latin America remains the world leader in time spent online for both smartphones and computers. Almost every country in the Middle and Africa showed a drop in streaming time. The average time for that region decreased 13 minutes to 1 hour and 40 minutes.
Amazon Leads U.S. Grocery Retailers in Personalization
The customer data science firm dunnhumby has released its inaugural Retailer Preference Index (RPI) for Leadership in Personalization, examining which grocery retailers personalize the shopping experience most effectively. Companies were evaluated on the top drivers of personalization identified by grocery customers: targeted savings, localized assortments, and frictionless shopping experience. Amazon placed first among the grocers studied, followed by H-E-B and Kroger.
“With the long-term trend of shoppers across all income brackets demanding lower prices, personalization is an opportunity for grocers to better retain and acquire customers,” said Matt O’Grady, President of dunnhumby for the Americas. “The goal of this report is to help retailers improve personalization as a whole — the way customers define it.”
The report notes personalization matters most to shoppers in the baby care category (63%) across all three drivers. Personalization is also important in health (53%) and ready-to-eat (52%), though importance varies by driver.
Southwest Airlines Devalues Reward Points for 2024 Southwest Airlines has announced a devaluation of its Rapid Rewards loyalty program points. Starting January 1, 2024, points will be worth 4% less […]