SunnyBee Market, a chain of food stores in Chennai, has introduced India’s first-of-its-kind self-checkout store in Besant Nagar, Chennai, considering the need for a safe shopping experience by limiting contact and to improve overall speed of checkouts.
WayCool Labs - the technology arm of WayCool Foods and Products, a leading agritech firm based in Chennai has developed this custom solution for the chain food store.
An integrated hardware and software solution, the self-checkout counter occupies a minimal 4 square feet floor space with a built-in high-speed scanner, touchscreen panel, and a billing printer. The counter eliminates the need to interact with the store staff altogether. Shoppers scan their purchases on their own and place the scanned products in the conveniently hanging bags or use their own bags.
With a single click on the touch screen to pay, a QR code will pop up on the screen. Customers scan this QR code on their mobile using any one of the numerous UPI payment methods such as GPay, PhonePe and Paytm.
This solution frees up the store billing staff to manage the store operations and improve customer service. The only place where there is an interaction with store staff is when staff will assist the customer for F&V produce to weigh, pack, and print/paste a barcode. The F&V bags with barcode can be scanned at the selfie counter as well.
Sriram Sridharan, business head, SunnyBee Market, said, “There has been a steady flow of shoppers as they look to stock up during these uncertain times. Though several retailers are open through the lockdown with strict enforcement of safety measures, there is a sense of uncertainty among shoppers due to multiple interactions within the store.”
“Hence, the self-checkout solution was designed, developed, and implemented in 15 days despite the lockdown. The initial response from customers is very positive and this is evident from their excitement to use the self-checkout counter every time they walk into the store,” he added.