Sensei's Miguel Murta Cardoso: still many barriers to full self-checkout adoption despite growing popularity

Miguel Murta Cardoso, Head of Retail at Sensei, has taken to social media to address one of the most burning questions in retail right now: why haven't self-checkouts fully replaced traditional cashiers as of yet?

In a LinkedIn post, he said: "Self-checkouts are growing in popularity, but they still coexist with traditional checkouts. Why? Not all customers want to use them - seniors, people with large purchases, or those who prefer interaction with people avoid self-checkouts."

Risk of loss is also an issue, he added. Fraud and errors are more common when the payment is made autonomously by the customer, requiring more control.

Hard to register products also pose problems - fruits, vegetables, and non-barcode items slow things down and are prone to errors, impacting the shopping experience. There is also flow capacity to take in to consideration - at peak times, traditional cashiers are faster and more efficient for large purchases.

"Self-checkout improves efficiency in certain formats and purchase times, but it still has many barriers to full adoption," Cardoso concluded.

2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

Self-checkout technology will be a key focus area at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards. which will open for entries in March, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on 21st November, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy  Porter, and all those who attended November's gathering. 

For further information on the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards, please fill in the below form and we will get back to you asap.