Toshiba’s POS Tech Gets A Checkout Makeover

Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions and ITAB Shop Concept said Monday (May 18) that they will partner to offer new platforms to improve the in-store shopping experience, particularly at checkout.

Toshiba will integrate its partner’s self-checkout solutions into its own portfolio in the U.S. and Europe, among other global markets. Both companies pointed to the 2014 Retail Satisfaction Barometer study by CFI Group stating that checkout remains one of the highest indicators of overall customer satisfaction – a facet of the shopping experience that ranks even higher than price or in-store staff. Consumers also place high regard on steps driven by technology which help speed time to checkout, including scanning.

“Having worked cooperatively in several customer accounts, Toshiba takes great pride in welcoming ITAB as a Together Commerce Alliance Innovation Partner,” said Michael Griffiths, Vice President, Global Commerce Portfolio of Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions. “Through our collaboration with ITAB, well-known as an industry leader for their expertise in design, automation technology, customer experience, and store layouts, Toshiba now offers retailers broader options to transform their stores with a wide range of conventional, self-service and mobile checkout solutions.”

Earlier this month, MPD CEO Karen Webster hosted a webinar on the future of the “last mile” in shopping – the checkout, where consumers must interact with a POS system different than the one seen throughout the shopping process, and a step that is not entirely mobile. And a study earlier this year by the location based mobile marketing firm Retale found millennials desire mobile payments at the self-checkout option.

“In a retail landscape that changes so rapidly, joining in an alliance with Toshiba enables us to deliver unique solutions to the retail market that leverage the combined strengths of both companies,” Niklas Thoresson, ITAB’s Chief Business Officer, said in the release detailing the Toshiba collaboration. “Through our joint solutions, retailers have the opportunity to improve sales and efficiency in their store operations.”