Picture this: It’s 6pm, and a shopper walks into a busy supermarket on their way home from work. They grab a few essentials, head to the self-checkout, scan, pay, and leave—all in under two minutes. No waiting, no small talk, no friction.   

For millions of consumers today, this is exactly what they want. There’s a time and place for attentive service and the human touch, and they should always be on hand for those who want it. But we can’t ignore the growing number of people who love to just be able to grab what they need and not have to interact with anybody, especially when they are just grabbing a few essentials.

We are living in a new age of independence and choice, where for many people speed and autonomy define the customer experience.

The Shift in Customer Behaviour

Over the past few years, consumer expectations have evolved dramatically. Shoppers increasingly value speed, control, and convenience over traditional in-store interactions. They are more and more accustomed to having control over the whole experience, managing the purchase from start to end privately and without interference. According to McKinsey, these behaviours – accelerated during the pandemic – have become permanent, with consumers prioritising frictionless experiences and time-saving solutions across all retail categories.

This isn’t always about avoiding people (though sometimes it absolutely is); it’s often about maximising time. In a world where everything from banking to entertainment is on-demand, waiting in line feels like a relic of the past. For many today, the ideal shopping experience is fast, intuitive, and self-directed.

Self-Checkout: From Novelty to Norm

What started as an optional convenience has quickly become a mainstream expectation. Today, somewhere between 60-73% of consumers prefer self-checkout over staffed registers, and nearly 92% have used it at least once (Source: NPD Group).

The reasons are clear: autonomy, speed, privacy, and the ability to bag items their way.

Advancing technology has made the experience even smoother. Modern self-checkout systems now feature faster scanning, contactless and cash payments, and intuitive interfaces, reducing average transaction times to under 40 seconds for small baskets (Source: RetailNext).

For retailers, this means shorter queues, happier customers, and more efficient front-end operations.

The Business Case for Self-Service

For retail executives, the benefits go far beyond customer satisfaction:

• Operational Efficiency: Self-checkout reduces labour costs by over 20% on average (Source: RBR), freeing staff for higher-value tasks like customer assistance and maintaining the store environment.

   

• Scalability: With self-service, retailers can handle peak traffic without adding headcount.

   

• Data-Driven Insights: Self-service systems capture valuable data on purchasing behaviour, empowering your decision-making.

   

• Customer Loyalty: Convenience drives repeat visits. When shoppers know they can get in and out quickly, they’re more likely to return.

   

  And the trend isn’t slowing down. According to a report by Grand View Research, the global self-checkout market is projected to reach $10.49 billion by 2030, growing at a double-digit CAGR. Others put it as high as $13-14 billion. 

  
  Self-service isn’t just here to stay, it’s here to grow.

The Bottom Line

Self-service isn’t about removing the human touch; it’s about giving customers choice. 

Glory’s own research, commissioned through KANTAR, revealed that 80% of consumers consider it important for retailers to provide a choice of checkout options. Furthermore, when they reach the checkout, 47% of them don’t choose the same checkout option every time, but choose the option that best meets their needs in the moment.

People today want to be free to shape their own experience to what suits them at that time. Sometimes they want human interaction or advice on products. Sometimes they just want to be left alone. For those who value speed, privacy and independence, self-checkout is the ultimate convenience. For retailers, it’s an opportunity to innovate, differentiate, and thrive in a competitive market.

Glory’s Role in the Self-Service Revolution

At Glory, we’ve seen firsthand how self-service solutions can transform the customer experience. We played a large role in bringing reliable self-service solutions to the banking industry, and today we offer a full spectrum of solutions to the retail and hospitality industries too. From cash automation to integrated self-checkout systems to a complete unified commerce platform, our technologies empower retailers to deliver the speed, autonomy and convenience customers demand – without compromising security or profitability.

Have a chat with our team to discover how our broad range of solutions can help you serve every customer the way they want.