Payments
Smart checkout rolling out to Circle K, Couche-Tard stores
June 7, 2022
More than 7,000 Circle K and Couche-Tar stores are being outfitted with computer vision-based, self-checkout machines after a successful initial deployment in nearly 500 locations.
The technology is from Mashgin Touchless Checkout Systems, called Smart Checkout, and deployment will be done in the next three years, according to a press release.
The store brands are under the umbrella of Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc, one of the biggest global convenience retailers.
The partnership with Mashgin will include 10,000-plus machines for stores in the U.S., Canada and Europe.
The AI-powered system can improve checkout times as much as 400%, according to the release. The speedier checkout allows store staff to focus more time on helping customers, according to the release.
The initial 500-store deployment involved Circle K locations in the U.S. and Sweden that was launched in 2020 and which also included Couche-Tard's retail innovation lab store on the campus of McGill University in Montreal.
The system is a compact countertop device that fits easily into the existing store layout. It uses computer vision to recognize items presented from virtually any angle and instantly ring them up in a single transaction. Customers place their items on the Mashgin Touchless Checkout System, which uses cameras to ring up everything in under a second. There is no need to download an app or find and scan barcodes; shoppers put items down, pay as they normally would, and are on their way in as little as 10 seconds — eight times faster than traditional self-checkout.
"We're committed to investing in and scaling technology that sets a new standard for convenience with our customers and advances our mission to make our customers' lives a little easier every day," Magnus Tägtström, vice president, global innovation at Couche-Tard, said in the release. "The smart checkout system powered by Mashgin's game-changing technology shortens lines, improves the customer experience and frees up our teams to focus on helping our customers. We look forward to introducing this new platform to stores across our network."
Surveys of first-time Mashgin users at deployed Circle K locations show 80% of customers prefer Mashgin to traditional forms of checkout and self-checkout. Recent updates to the system to allow cash use, fuel purchase and key loyalty programs like Sip & Save have driven customer adoption. At some Circle K stores, smart checkout has already become customers' favorite way to transact.
