Guest Feature: AI solutions on the road to success – from the self-checkout to the entire store
They are indispensable in many stores: self-checkouts (SCOs). Their number is growing steadily: from 2021 to 2023 alone, the number of stores offering mobile or stationary SCOs increased by 117%. This was shown by the EHI’s SCO market survey from 2023. Retailers’ interest in combining SCOs with AI solutions and using them in further store areas is also growing. This was confirmed, for example, in discussions with retailers at the most important retail trade fairs at the beginning of the year: the NRF Annual Convention and EXPO in New York and EuroCIS in Düsseldorf.
With the additional use of AI technology, the significant potential of the SCO can be further exploited. For example, to prevent inventory differences and to answer questions about how customers can easily scan loose goods or how age checks can be carried out when selling alcoholic beverages. Possible losses and points of friction in the store can thus be eliminated, and security significantly improved.
One platform – a variety of AI solutions
Diebold Nixdorf offers corresponding software with the Vynamic® Smart Vision AI platform. This is probably the most comprehensive toolbox currently available. It comprises three solutions based on the use of Smart Vision technology and AI. The fraud prevention software, Vynamic® Smart Vision | Shrink Reduction, detects operating errors at SCOs, for example, when customers pass an item past the scanner without actually scanning it, when the barcodes of products are exchanged or when a customer leaves the checkout area without paying. In such cases, the customer receives an alert on the screen and can correct the scanning process. Also, the employees are informed by the system and can react accordingly.
Successfully in operation
The French retail group Groupement Mousquetaires is already convinced by the solution. Introduced in one of its Intermarché stores in March 2024, it quickly achieved considerable improvements. Incorrect transactions have fallen from 3% to less than 1% and inventory differences at the SCO have been reduced by up to 75%. Groupement Mousquetaires is currently planning to roll out the software across its entire store network.
Another AI solution from Diebold Nixdorf is Vynamic® Smart Vision | Age Verification for automatic age control. It enables the purchase of age-restricted items such as alcoholic beverages, which is approved at the SCO using automatic age recognition. Once consent has been given, the customer’s facial features are analyzed to determine their age. The solution is being used successfully at Edeka Jäger at Stuttgart Airport and won Florian Jäger the prestigious reta Award 2025 at EuroCIS in February. In the next step, he is already testing the AI solution for theft prevention at the SCO.
The third AI solution based on the Vynamic® Smart Vision platform is Vynamic® Smart Vision | Fresh Produce Recognition. This enables customers to easily and correctly record barcode-free products such as fresh fruit and vegetables. The items are identified using a camera, and after a video analysis, a short selection list of the identified item is displayed. The software is already running successfully at a large German discounter.
Support for employees
The three solutions can be used independently of each other or as a complete package, creating additional synergy effects. Furthermore, their use is not limited to SCOs – scenarios at manned checkouts would also be conceivable. For example, the fresh produce recognition software could support employees during the checkout process by quickly recognizing and categorizing fruit and vegetables. This eliminates the need for manual searches and makes the entire process more precise, faster and less prone to errors. Customer satisfaction at the checkout increases, especially at peak times, and the checkout process is made more convenient for employees thanks to the software support.
Use across the entire sales floor
Smart Vision technology can also be used for other applications in the store: for example, in aisles and shelves. This gives retailers an effective tool for making their entire retail environment smarter, more efficient and safer. One example is theft prevention in the aisles: Here, the solution can be used to anonymously record customer behavior. The goods taken from the shelves are then compared with the items scanned at the SCO. If there is no match, the checkout is blocked until clarification. The information required for this is available to staff via a dashboard.
Security can also be improved on several levels with the help of the Smart Vision solution. For example, a “hands-up detection” is possible: if employees feel threatened and raise their hands, security teams are alerted immediately and can react accordingly.
Success with advice
Many retailers are already convinced of the benefits of such solutions. However, they often ask themselves how they can best be introduced and how the individual, optimal checkout mix should be designed.
The answers to these questions are provided by consulting services such as Diebold Nixdorf’s StorevolutionTM Advisory Services. These are based on data-based analyses, extensive experience, and the offer of open, modular solutions. With such consulting and planning services as a basis, introducing new technologies can bring significant improvements in many respects – benefiting retailers, employees and customers alike.
