Kroger Goes Tech

Kroger (Cincinnati) has installed QueVision, infrared cameras which detect body heat in its checkout lanes, The Wall Street Journal reports. Software in the camera determines the number of lanes that need to be opened based on the amount of people. It’s said that the technology has reduced customer wait time to 26 seconds as compared to the average of four minutes before Kroger installed the system, according to WSJ.

The technology is now in 95 percent of its stores and houses software that was developed by Kroger’s own IT department. The software displays information regarding which lanes should be open in 30-minute increments on monitors above the lanes so supervisors can adjust when needed, WSJ reports. Exceeding analyst’s expectations, in MarchKroger reported a fourth-quarter profit of $461.5 million.

Other retailers have begun adding similar technology, such as the “Scan & Go” system implemented by Walmart Inc. (Bentonville, Ark.), wherein customers can use an iPhone app to scan items as they shop. Customers then hold their iPhone to the self-checkout screen upon leaving the store, which wirelessly records the items and then requests customer payment, according to WSJ.