Do you find yourself wanting to be able to do your own shopping without having a cashier or sales person ring your merchandise in?

More and more customers prefer to have the option to not go to a cashier to run through their purchase, according to a new study.

Eighty-six percent of Canadian and American respondents said they are more likely to deal with a company that offers self-service shopping. This could include shopping on the Internet, over a mobile device (PDA, Phone), an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) or a self-checkout kiosk.

The study conducted by BuzzBack Market Research, on behalf of NCR Corporation, showed that a further 56 per cent of respondents said that their likelihood to use a self service has increased in the past year.

"Whether we are banking, shopping, travelling or interacting with a healthcare provider, more of us look for and expect, self-service as an 'essential convenience' that improves our overall experience," said Bill Nuti, NCR chairman and CEO. "Businesses and governments have only one choice, and that's to offer more self-service alternatives and to offer them across a spectrum of channels including online, mobile and point of service."

If you have ever waited a long time in line to pay for a couple of items, you will know how frustrating it can be to stand in a cashier line. With many grocery stores now offering self-service kiosks, those with only a few items can scan them and be done in mere minutes.

Speed is the main issue at play when people want the option of self service business, along with convenience and ease of use.

Interestingly, financial institutions have had self-service banking for many years, as many have been using ATMs and online banking for years.

The four main transaction types included in the survey were: financial, retail, travel and healthcare. Here are the percentages for each, organized by which issue involved is the most important.

• Financial – speed (70%), convenience (67%), ease of use (52%);
• Retail – speed (68%), convenience (64%), ease of use (52%);
• Travel – speed (63%), convenience (61%), ease of use (60%);
• Healthcare – speed (53%), convenience (50%), ease of use (47%).

On top of the main three issues, privacy and greater control for purchases are also concerns stated by many respondents.

Ultimately, it is in the businesses best interest to offer as many options to their customers as possible. In turn, 66 per cent of respondents believe that having these options gives the company’s brand a more positive perception.

"Businesses that will profit most from deploying self-service solutions are those that go beyond viewing it as simply task automation," Nuti said. "The real payoff begins when enterprises use self-service to re-engineer their business processes and customer service delivery and, ultimately, to transform their business models."

Some examples of businesses that have introduced self service options are:

• Loblaw’s (including Superstore, Fortinos and Zehrs), who have self-service kiosks and ATM machines in store;
• Home Depot, which also has self-serve kiosks;
• Wal-Mart, Costco, Future Shop, Best Buy and many other who have online versions of their stores, so customers may buy various products without leaving the comfort of their homes.

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