Tech

Stores make big changes to self-checkout as theft soars

Published

9 months ago

March 18, 2024

They were meant to be the future of shopping, as thousands of stores spent millions installing self-checkouts. But then people started stealing.

Target in the U.S. has announced plans to limit self-checkout transactions to 10 items or fewer across its nearly 2,000 stores nationwide.

The move, set to take effect this Sunday, aims to enhance the overall customer experience and streamline the checkout process, according to the Minneapolis-based retailer.

Big Brother tech being used by supermarkets

This decision aligns Target with numerous other retail chains, including competitor Walmart, which have either restricted or eliminated self-checkout kiosks due to technological issues and escalating concerns about theft.

Target will expand the availability of traditional checkout lanes in its stores. The company tested the revised self-checkout policy at 200 locations last autumn before rolling it out nationwide.

Quick trips

According to Target, customer feedback indicated that having the option to choose between self-checkout for quick trips or staffed lanes for larger purchases resulted in an improved checkout experience overall.

The company also attributed the shift to changing consumer behavior, noting that self-checkout gained popularity during the peak of the pandemic when shoppers sought minimal contact with others.

However, the self-checkout overhaul comes amidst a backdrop of rising organized retail crime affecting Target stores nationwide.

Last fall, the retailer closed nine locations in cities such as San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, and Harlem, citing concerns for employee safety amid escalating incidents of violence.

A report revealed that organized shoplifting rings cost New York retailers an estimated $4.4 billion in losses in 2022.

Leaders

AI and data sovereignty set to lead business innovations in 2025

Published

5 days ago

December 6, 2024

ticker NEWS

As businesses embrace cutting-edge tech, challenges like data sovereignty and AI are taking centre stage.

Over the past six months, the AI industry has seen significant advancements, with competing models such as Meta’s Luma and Google’s Gemini entering the market.

However, these developments come with a reality check. Building large language models (LLMs) requires substantial computing power and time, making immediate returns on investment unlikely.

One promising innovation is agentic AI, a step beyond generative AI, which enables proactive, automated solutions.

For instance, this technology could stabilise IT systems autonomously, diagnosing and resolving issues without human intervention.

Data sovereignty has also emerged as a key focus, with increasing emphasis on keeping data within national borders to comply with local laws. This has driven the adoption of sovereign clouds and private data centres, ensuring secure and localised data processing for AI development.

Deepak Ajmani, Vice President of ANZ & APAC Emerging Markets at Confluent, joins to discuss the evolving business landscape.

Shows

Copilot redefines the modern workday

Published

6 days ago

December 5, 2024

ticker NEWS

Unlocking efficiency and customer success with AI-powered tools

The Tech Edge is a captivating business IT talk show delving into the latest industry trends and their significance in today’s landscape.

In this episode, Mike delves into the transformative power of Microsoft 365 Co-Pilot with Laura Morales, Customer Success Manager at AvePoint.

Shows

Organisations overcome challenges in AI implementation

Published

6 days ago

December 5, 2024

ticker NEWS

Key lessons and tips for seamless Copilot adoption

In this episode, Kate Faarland, the Senior Vice President of Data and AI Programs at AvePoint, discusses the importance of AvePoint’s data and AI program, internal challenges with implementing CoPilot, and the organisation’s learnings from rolling out CoPilot for their workforce.