Using a Store Planogram to Mitigate Long Lines at Checkout

Covid-19 has redefined what it means to feel comfortable in a retail space. Customers more aware of the ways in which they interact with their environment – the people they greet, the things they touch, and the amount of time they spend in a store.

Data indicate that most categories are seeing these larger per-visit spends, which means customers are prioritizing stocking up while visiting stores with less frequency. While this may indicate there are fewer shoppers in a retail space at once, this isn’t always the case. In fact, these bigger purchases are instead extending the time it takes to check out. And, with increased sanitizing measures and socially distanced customers, checkout lines are growing longer and longer.

While some Covid-19 retail phenomena are difficult to solve, others – like long checkout lines – often require a simple redesign with a planogram software. If your retail space is congested at checkout, consider Scorpion Planogram for an easy, user-friendly solution.

The State of Checkout Lines

With some retail spaces scrambling to address long, Covid-19-related checkout lines, some companies were already working to address the issue – particularly at grocery stores. An Indian company called SunnyBee Market, a Chennai-based grocery start-up, has designed a self-checkout store with high-speed scanners. Their innovations have eliminated the need for customers and staff to interact, and the speed at which items scan decreases the amount of time customers spend checking out.

More notably, Amazon debuted its checkout-free retail space, Amazon Go, back in 2018. Using an app that connects to an Amazon Prime account, customers can walk into a store, grab what they need, and leave without visiting a checkout counter. The store uses GPS data to track the user to the store, then charges any items taken to their account. These stores prioritize expediency so much that there aren’t even designated spaces for customer congregation – just a clearly labelled “Exit” sign.

But there is a crucial difference between the retailers using this technology and stores that utilize store planogram software. The former have checkout speeds built into their infrastructure. At general, most retailers using store planogram software can only anticipate long lines and design around that need.

That said, this is still a worthy place to devote time and resources, and Scorpion Planogram can help retailers remain on the cutting edge of design and customer solutions.

Keeping Checkout in Mind with a Store Planogram

Social distancing isn’t going anywhere any time soon. If you’re using a store planogram software to design or refresh your retail space, you’ll want to consider the checkout line more carefully than in previous years. Scorpion Planogram gives users the ability to utilize essential measurements – store dimensions, product displays, and furniture – to inform their design process. Dragging and dropping these various assets allows users to manipulate their spaces to suit the changing needs of their customers and staff.

When your outline is done, you’ll be closer to creating a safe, socially responsible space for customers to shop – and check out – safely.