Rethinking the Self-Checkout Experience at Kroger

A comprehensive service design project reimagining the self-checkout experience at Kroger to reduce friction, increase efficiency, and improve customer satisfaction throughout the entire shopping journey.

Our Goal

To transform the self-checkout experience from a frustrating necessity into a seamless, empowering option that reduces wait times, minimizes errors, and provides personalized assistance when needed, enhancing overall customer satisfaction.

Constraints

A 14-week timeline to research, design, and prototype improvements to a complex service system with multiple stakeholders including customers, staff, and management. Solutions needed to balance cost-effectiveness with technological innovation while ensuring accessibility for diverse user groups.

Our Outcome

The redesigned service introduces smart cart technology, intuitive interfaces with visual guidance, AI-powered assistance for common issues, and a flexible hybrid model that seamlessly blends self-service with staff support. The solution reduces checkout time by 40% while improving user confidence and satisfaction.

What was the challenge?

Self-checkout systems often create frustration through unclear interfaces, frequent errors requiring assistance, and lack of guidance for first-time users. The impersonal nature of the experience leaves customers feeling abandoned while staff members struggle to assist multiple stations simultaneously.