Let’s check out!

The cash register zone is undoubtedly one of the two hottest locations in stores which deserves special attention. No other area inside stores has seen such dynamic change and development as the cash register zone. Today, cash registers supply a tremendous variety of data which serve as the basis for logistic, purchasing, sales and marketing activities. The beginning of the widespread use of EAN code at the end of the 1970’s was a big breakthrough, along with the appearance of cash registers equipped with bar code scanners, because this allowed customers to get a detailed receipt and stores to use shelf tags rather than price each product individually. In the meanwhile, the environment of cash registers has continued to change. Increasingly creative displays have appeared in order to persuade people to make purchases even while waiting to check out. According to Balázs Pászti, consultant to Szamos Tulajdonosi Tanácsadó Testület, products regarded by people as a kind of reward should be placed here. Placement in the cash register zone is also a good way of introducing new products. In the opinion of Zsolt Olajos, customer marketing manager of Wrigley Hungária Kft., products which move very fast, occupy a very small space and generate high profit should be placed in the cash register zone. As shopping decisions are very impulsive and fast in this area, it is important to put strong brands here. The cash register zone is beginning to be regarded as not only a point of sales but also as a point of service. As Judit Molnár, business development director from Tesco has told us, they focus on customer priorities: approachability and transparency. Apart from impulse products, brochures about Tesco financial services are also displayed here, as well as returnable shopping bags. Discount chains use a different approach. They also offer non-food items in the cash register zone, like SD cards, DVD-s, or batteries. In small stores, more expensive items are kept in the cash register zone in order to prevent theft. In smaller stores with 1-4 cash registers, is recommended to keep the strongest brand of each impulse category in the cash register zone. In order to maximise profit, it is essential to keep in mind that shopping decisions in the cash register zone are not premeditated but impulsive, generated by right placement. It is also essential to minimise out of stock and to strictly adhere to the FIFO principle. Tesco offers communication surfaces in the cash register zone as well, which are not expensive but can be very effective, provided that the standard of creative work is good. This location is also ideal for offering financial services. Advertisements placed in the cash register zone, on anti-theft gates for example, are also already highly visible to customers entering the store. Cashiers can also serve as an advertising surface, when dressed in uniform promotional T-shirt. Cash register tape is also an effective advertising surface, because receipts are usually kept and taken home by customers. Individual solutions can also be worked out, like stickers on the extra tray surface of cash registers. However, new developments like mobile scanners and self-service check out might soon lead to a complete revision of the prevailing concept of cash register zones.