Moscow, 26 June 2018 – X5 Retail Group N.V (“X5” or the “Company”), a leading Russian food retailer (LSE and MOEX ticker: FIVE), announces that Pyaterochka has begun testing Helping Tills (Vyruchai-Kassa), new self-checkout machines with voice assistance to help customers understand and enjoy the new shopping format. For the convenience of customers who don’t speak Russian, the system’s interface is also available in English and Chinese. The UI has been designed to match the retail chain’s style and customer experience, making it easy and convenient to use.
The first self-checkout machines have already arrived at two Moscow stores, and self-checkout zones with up to six machines each will be opened at ten Pyaterochka stores in the city by the end of 2018. A store employee will be available to assist users of Helping Tills and to check IDs of customers buying alcohol and cigarettes.
The new machines will increase the number of open tills, reduce queueing times especially at peak hours, and more actively engage employees in selling spaces. Pilot test results suggest customers will use self-service for around 50% of their purchases. Helping Tills accept cash and all bank cards, as well as loyalty points and coupons. Self-checkout users can also earn or spend Helping Card programme points.
Once the testing closes in December 2018, around 50 self-checkouts will be installed at ten Pyaterochka stores in Moscow. During the pilot tests, X5 experts will look at the tills’ performance and fault tolerance, and make final tweaks to the voice interface. In addition, they will work out the most effective ways to communicate promos and determine which payment methods are the most popular among Helping Till users.