Freiburg-based retailer and baker Johannes Ruf has installed self-checkouts (SCO) from Diebold Nixdorf in his new Beckesepp store in Waltershofen. The systems use AI technology to automatically recognise fruit and vegetables as well as perform age checks on restricted goods. With the new store, the retailer is introducing unstaffed operation from 6:00 pm to midnight. This Edeka Südwest affiliate is the first retailer in Europe to permanently use Diebold Nixdorf’s AI solution in its day-to-day operations. The retailer also plans to roll it out in his other stores.
Diebold Nixdorf’s Vision Recognition solution uses a camera placed on the self-checkout terminal to capture products without barcodes, such as fruit and vegetables. For individual items, the number of products is identified and displayed on the screen. This eliminates the need for customers to manually select products at the self-checkout, or to weigh them and label items in the fresh produce section.
The technology also allows the Kaufmanns family to automate age checks for restricted goods at self-checkouts. When an age-restricted item is scanned, the system asks the customer whether they want automatic age recognition. If the customer agrees, the solution uses a camera installed on the terminal and AI algorithms to analyse their facial features and determine their age. If the age is above a predefined threshold, the transaction can continue. Store employees only need to manually check customers who are below this age limit or who opt out of automatic age verification. This GDPR-compliant does not store any customer information.
Unmanned night operation
With the new 920 square metre Beckesepp store, the retailer can operate its store unstaffed from 6:00 pm to midnight and on Sundays and public holidays from 8:00 am to 10:00 pm. Customers wishing to purchase age-restricted items outside of normal opening hours can access the entrance gate via their ID card. This also allows them to make purchases at the card-based self-service terminals.
”While the self-service checkouts also allow us to operate at night, the two AI-based solutions minimize two of the most frequently cited hurdles that customers mention when using self-service solutions: The lengthy search for the right item when registering fresh goods and the personal interaction for the purchase of age-restricted goods”, says Johannes Ruf, owner of Edeka Beckesepp.
Intermarché secures SCOs with vision recognition from Diebold Nixdorf
At the beginning of this year, following a successful trial phase, Intermarché began rolling out Diebold Nixdorf’s Vision Recognition solution for fraud prevention at self-service checkouts in its store network, as reported by The Retail Optimiser. The solution detects when an item is passed by the scanner without being scanned, when items are stacked on top of each other or when customers leave the checkout area without paying.
