New Preston supermarket ‘lab’ on Blackpool Road has introduced yet another technological device to dazzle customers.

The Morrisons store has unveiled self-checkout kiosks allowing shoppers to pre-order food and beverages at its in-store café. It will also read QR codes on mobile devices.

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The self-checkouts are being trialled at Morrisons’ new lab store in Preston. The retailer is trying out a range of innovative ideas, trailed here in Preston before anywhere else in the country.

Global tech company NCR is supplying software for the self-checkout stations to help refine Morrisons’ customer experience; extending shopping experience and improving operational efficiency. Shoppers can use the kiosks to order and pay for products at the nearby café. The devices will be enabled to help customers make further online orders after they have paid for their shopping.

The also have the ability to recognise a much wider range of barcodes than most self-checkouts, including those on mobile devices. Coupons can be processed on the machines.

Adrian Stanbury, Chief information officer for Morrisons commented that Tech-savvy consumers are influencing the way that supermarkets interact with them, so they must respond accordingly.

Morrisons are changing and updating the in-store experience but they are also trying to match the variety of consumer engagement tools with the growing, always-on mobile population. In what is called an omni-commerce strategy they are hoping to grow their business by attracting new customers, getting present customers to stay longer and making their businesses more efficient.

People use self-checkout technology for speed and greater control when they shop. Independent studies show consumers are more likely to do repeat business with a retailer that provides self-checkout technology.

NCR’s innovative RealScan 78 is the world’s first hybrid imaging and laser bi-optic scanner

We reported last December that Morrisons chose Preston as the location for their new style ‘food retail warehouse’ experiment. The store is equipped with ‘tunnel scanners’ to speed up the checkout process, TV screens advertising brands and an on-screen recipe advisor in the produce department.

Reaction to the experimental store has been mixed as can been seen by these comments on the Hot Uk Deals site. Many feel the new store is cold and unfinished. The ‘warehouse’ feel certainly doesn’t help.

What is your opinion of the new Morrisons store? Have you used the self-checkouts in the store? Let us know in the comments below.