Significant Lost Sales at Self-Checkout Registers

Twenty years ago, there was a notable front-end checkout study called 'Front End Focus' published by M&M/Mars, Time Distribution Services, and Dechert-Hampe & Co.

The Front End Focus study concluded supermarket front-end productivity saw $4.3 billion in checkout lane sales at supermarkets nationwide, generating 1.1% in store sales, and 1.5% in store profits.

At the time, top-selling checkout categories were confection, magazines, beverages, and general merchandise.

Present day 2023, self-checkout development is all the rage in retail, but missing in many stores is actual merchandise to sell at the end of the shopping experience, which is increasingly self-checkout lanes, and these lanes can represent up to 55% of more of daily transactions in a busy retail store.

That's billions in lost sales.

Adventures in Candy Development

Working on building a snack/candy business model for retail, so back into the stores for several weeks of market research.

First the numbers.

The U.S. confectionery (candy, gum, chocolate, mints) industry generates $37 billion in annual retail sales, while the U.S. snack market is driving $150 million in sales.

Visit most retailers, and will see the top brands dominate placement at checkout and in center store.

This is a high-impulse turn product in a volume-driven industry.

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