Morrisons has announced a mass rollout of AI-powered checkout technology that it claims will drastically reduce queuing times across 200 of its stores.
How the Evercheck system works
The supermarket giant's new Evercheck system uses real-time computer vision to compare what has been scanned with the products visible in a shopper’s basket. If the system believes an item has been missed, a “gentle” on-screen prompt asks the customer to correct the problem.
Morrisons said the technology, which will be rolled out following a successful trial period, should result in fewer interruptions, shorter wait times and less need for colleagues to be called over for routine fixes.
Partnership with Everseen
Technology company Everseen, which created the software, said self-service checkouts had become increasingly popular among Morrisons customers but needed to remain “frustration-free” to deliver the expected convenience. The software will be integrated into the supermarket’s existing self-checkout systems rather than replacing them with completely till-free technology.
Francesca Bezoari, Store Support Office Director at Morrisons, said: “Our new partnership with Everseen enables us to provide the fast and seamless checkout experience our customers want, while simultaneously equipping our colleagues to maintain the exceptional service that Morrisons is known for.”
Benefits for staff and customers
The technology is also expected to free store colleagues from having to repeatedly resolve straightforward scanning errors, allowing them to spend more time helping customers.
In a LinkedIn post, Everseen said: “Self-checkout has become an increasingly popular way for shoppers to pay, but fast and convenient only works if it’s frustration-free too. Using real-time computer vision, Evercheck simplifies the checkout process by helping shoppers self-correct missed items with gentle on-screen prompts, keeping queues moving and freeing store teams to focus on customer service.”
Privacy assurances
The technology does not use facial recognition technology, Everseen confirmed, and is instead focused on analysing the transaction rather than attempting to identify the person using the checkout. It also does not profile or target individual shoppers and is not intended to operate as a facial-recognition or customer-surveillance system, they added.
Instead, the AI checks what has been scanned against the contents of the basket before prompting the shopper if it identifies a potential error.
Joe White, chief executive of Everseen, said: “Morrisons recognise that the best AI solutions deliver measurable results without compromising the customer experience. Our Vision AI platform enables Morrisons to improve its satisfaction scores, proving that operational performance and customer service aren’t competing priorities. We’re proud to bring our experience from deploying across thousands of global checkouts to support Morrisons’ transformation.”
Scale of rollout
Everseen says its technology is currently deployed across more than 150,000 checkouts and 10,000 stores worldwide. Morrisons operates approximately 500 supermarkets, meaning the initial rollout could cover around two-fifths of its larger-store estate.
The supermarket has not yet revealed which stores will receive the technology or when the rollout will be completed.
