OVERVIEW
Inco is a medium to high range Danish cash and carry chain, a long-standing Datalogic customer from the first generation of Joya devices. After being very satisfied with the performance of Datalogic mobile computers, the Inco store in Copenhagen has added the self-shopping devices to the classic conveyor belt system to make a fully automated checkout system.
Northern European countries are very advanced in terms of purchasing habits. In fact, citizens are used to taking advantage of self-shopping and to making the vast majority of transactions through electronic money. These characteristics have certainly favored the implementation by Inco of increasingly innovative purchasing systems.
THE CHALLENGE
After deciding to open a new store, Inco wanted to make it unique by launching a cutting-edge project in the retail sector. The intention was to reduce personnel costs – which are very high in Northern Europe – and upgrade the skills of their employees to alternative high added-value activities. Like most cash and carries, the customers are professionals and not the regular point of sale buyers. Goods, however, are not just simply boxed and packaged. The bulk product is in fact displayed on shelves as in a traditional store, giving it the appearance very similar to that of a supermarket.
After migrating to Joya Touch, in August 2016 Inco opened its new store in Glostrup, a suburb near Copenhagen. Designed to be equipped exclusively as a self-shopping system, without any kind of cashier-staffed checkout, the Inco store was the first and to date the only fully automated cash and carry.
THE SOLUTION
The integrated Datalogic mobile computer system enabled Inco to achieve its goal. It is based on Joya Touch, Datalogic’s multifunction mobile computer developed for self-service shopping solutions, as well as warehouse management in retail stores (in this way only one devices was needed in the store, thanks to the multi-purpose capabilities of Joya Touch).
In addition to the original functions such as Bluetooth, vibration, etc. available on the first generation of Joya, the Touch model also features a number of innovative technologies, including advanced wireless charging technology, which avoids failure of the charging port due to repeated plug-in and plug-out. Datalogic’s innovative SoftSpot technology allows users to customize the virtual touch-scan button to any position on the screen to meet the different needs of users, giving them a brand new and convenient touch experience.
At the entrance of the Glostrup store there is an intelligent barrier controlled by Datalogic Store Solution “SHOP EVOLUTION” that prevents entry to those without the Joya Touch device: in this way they can be sure that 100% of customers are using the self-shopping method. This store has only four checkouts with two tills each for payment via the device, with only one worker employed in customer service in case the event of any difficulties in making payment.
Instead of sitting at the checkout waiting for customers, as happens in traditional stores, the other employees can then devote themselves to more valuable activities such as customer support and in-store sales assistance, thus increasing the service offered.
In addition to self-checkout, the same Joya Touch device can also be used for warehouse activities. With a simple switch between the applications already on the Joya, it is possible to shift from the purchasing environment to warehouse management. The Datalogic Shopevolution software package, customized to Inco’s specific requirements, makes it easy to perform back-office analysis, constantly monitoring the status of all devices in the store.
THE RESULTS
The benefits of implementing this system have fully satisfied Inco in many respects. In addition to the reduction of personnel allocated to the cash desks, the redeployment of employees to more intellectual activities and the possibility of using the same device for warehouse and purchasing activities, another very important benefit is the speed of payment, which means there are never queues at the automatic checkout. Having scanned the products from time to time with the Joya device during shopping, it takes less than a minute to pay the bill through the credit card.
The system allows the complete tracking in real time of what happens in the cash and carry. In fact, with the precise geolocation of every single Joya, the status of all devices are monitored, allowing for very detailed analysis (such as how many customers are present in the store at a given moment, if and what they are buying, how much time they have been in the store and in which departments, what was their purchase path, etc.). Thanks to the monitoring of these checks, the rescan of purchased products is not necessary. Only a few random checks are carried out, during which only the most expensive items are checked. If these are actually included in the shopping, the customer can leave without further verification, thus reducing the time spent in the store.
"We are proud to have been the first fully automated cash and carry, and without the Datalogic Joya Touch devices this would not have been possible”, Inco says.
You can see the INCO video at this link.
Joya Touch
ShopEvolution 7
