“Easy in, easy shop, easy out,” is the idea behind technologies such as hand-held scanners and self checkout that are aimed at saving our supermarket customers time and making shopping with us more efficient.
Here are some of the technologies that customers can take advantage in many of our stores:
- Hand-held scanners. Track the value of your shopping basket as you choose and pack purchases, helping to speed up checkout.
- Self checkout. Customers using hand-held scanners may also have the opportunity to choose self checkout, where payment can be made at an automated cash register.
- LCD Screens. Receive information on special offers and store events.
- Electronics kiosks. Pre-order items such as baked goods and deli products at the touch of a screen and locate products anywhere in the store.
Technology helping build next generation stores
These innovations are at the heart of next-generation stores that we are building based on customer feedback, including the Giant Super Food Store in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania and Albert Heijn’s Heemskerk supermarket.
“Track the value of your shopping basket as you choose and pack purchases, helping to speed up checkout. ”
Technology at the Camp Hill store introduces supermarket customers to an entirely new level of service. For example, customers there have access to wireless internet. In a café setting they can log in free of charge and surf the internet or check emails - and see who’s coming to dinner.
Offering convenience and healthy choices
This isn’t technology just for technology’s sake. In addition to saving time and offering convenience, many of the technologies that we employ are aimed at helping customers make choices for a healthy lifestyle: one of Ahold’s top priorities.
Some of our stores offer electronic kiosks where customers can receive suggestions for healthy recipes and nutritional information. Similar information, as well as tips on topics such as weight loss and nutritional supplements, is also available online via the websites of our supermarket companies.
“Pre-order items such as baked goods and deli products at the touch of a screen and locate products anywhere in the store. ”
When it comes to convenient shopping, it would be tough to beat our Peapod and Albert.nl on-line grocers. Internet users can shop from home and have their choices delivered to their door for a minimal fee, all at the click of a button.
Technology working behind the scenes
Not all of the technology that we use to serve our customers is immediately apparent to people visiting our stores. Much if it is used behind the scenes and aimed at helping us run our business more simply and efficiently.
The behind the scenes technologies found at many of our stores include:
- Mobile communication devices. An “office in your pocket”. This device frees managers from their desks so they can spend more time on the store floor helping customers and managing associates.
- High-efficiency cooling and heating systems. These more efficient systems reduce energy usage at our stores and the associated costs and negative environmental impact.
- Daylight collectors. State of the art lighting systems are used in some stores to illuminate the sales areas. They are coupled with computer sensors that automatically dim stores lights based on the amount of daylight they detect.