A hard discount brand tests a whole new concept: to make the entry of its stores pay. Customers must thus make a security deposit before going shopping on shelves.
In about twenty years, the checkout has radically changed. We have gone from classic recorders manipulated by cashiers with self-service funds, who simply and simply deleted the human intermediary, leaving customers the task of scanning their articles themselves. Because, for several years, brands have multiplied innovations to fluidify the passage in store: automatic funds, mobile payment, scan of products in autonomy …
It is in this context that Aldi, the famous Hard Discount brand, tests a new concept of “autonomous stores”, without automatic funds. Thus, in Greenwich, in the United Kingdom, and in Utrecht, in the Netherlands, customers enter, take what they need, then leave … without scan, without human contact. Thanks to a dedicated application, associated with a system of cameras and intelligent sensors, the products are automatically recorded and billed. Once the output has been crossed, the bank account is automatically debited from the corresponding amount. An operation inspired by Amazon Go stores, which focuses on speed, practicality, and a form of total technological confidence.
In order for this new model to work, Aldi has chosen a radical solution: to make the entry pay. Customers must pay an entry fee of 12 euros, either via a QR code, either directly by bank card, to access the store. A sum then deducted from their purchases if they reach a minimum basket of 12 euros. If the customer buys for less than 12 euros or consumes nothing at all, he is obviously reimbursed. A way to dissuade fraudulent behavior into a system without direct human supervision.
This concept has the merit of avoiding the queues in the checkout. However, he could put off more than one consumer. Especially since the first returns are mixed. Several customers have expressed their dissatisfaction with the lack of clear information from the system, in particular with regard to compulsory payment at the entrance.
The question of reimbursement in the event of non-purchase is also a key point. Some customers have been annoyed to have to wait several days before recovering the prepaid amount, not to mention that errors in the reimbursement process have been reported. In addition, several people have reported having been debited several times following a technical dysfunction with the payment terminals or the mobile application.
Beyond payment inconvenience, autonomous stores raise concerns about the management of personal data. Indeed, the least facts and gestures of customers are permanently scrutinized and analyzed by artificial intelligence. What will happen to this data when the person leaves the store once? Aldi ensures that recordings are anonymized and only serve to facilitate payments. But that does not appear fears …
For the moment, this store concept is only at the test stage. But between the problems linked to the early deposit, technical dysfunctions, reimbursement times and questions of privacy and collection of personal data, it seems that this model should still be improved in order to fully convince customers.