Implementation of Hybrid Checkouts in Small-Format Stores
- Customer
- Three Prices
- Project manager on the customer side
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- IT Provider
- CSI
- Year of project completion
- 2025
- Project timeline
- January, 2025 - October, 2025
- Project scope
- 150 automated workstations
- Goals
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The retailer needed to solve the problem of cashier shortages amidst a general personnel deficit in the market. Staff turnover in retail reached 70% per year, and the payroll (FOT — Payroll Fund) for employees in the checkout zone accounted for 40% of costs.
In some stores of the chain, only one employee was working, who, in addition to checkout duties, also had tasks in the sales area. It was required, without increasing staff, to:
- Eliminate checkout downtime due to the absence or busyness of cashiers.
- Free up manpower for stocking shelves in the sales area.
- Speed up customer service.
- Project Results
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After installing the hybrid checkout in place of one of the traditional checkouts in the store:
- The store's throughput capacity increased by 15%.
- The conversion rate from customer traffic into actual purchases improved by 5%, due to reduced queues and fewer abandoned shopping carts.
This helped to reduce the workload for cashiers at the other checkouts in the store by diverting customers to the hybrid checkout.
By the end of 2025, the retailer plans to install 20 CSI hybrid checkouts, and in 2026 — 150, equipping all stores in large populated areas with them.
The uniqueness of the project
- The retailer was the first in the Republic of Belarus to implement a new format of checkout solutions — a hybrid checkout, which can operate both in the classic mode with a cashier and in self-service mode.
- The hybrid checkout implementation project confirmed the accessibility and effectiveness of self-service technologies for small-format stores.
- This case opens up prospects for the implementation of hybrid checkouts in small-format stores and discounters, which are becoming increasingly popular.
- Used software
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Set Retail — POS (Point of Sale) software.
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Set SCO — Self-Checkout (SCO) software.
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CSI K — Self-service checkout.
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CSI s.kit — compact SCO (Kiosk Checkout) model.
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CSI m.kit — hybrid checkout with two screens.
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- Difficulty of implementation
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Creating the hybrid checkout was a complex and creative challenge for CSI engineers because Set Hybrid combines two independent solutions into one product: the Set Touch touch-based POS for the cashier and the Set SCO self-service kiosk. The resulting unified system is capable of instantly switching between cashier-assisted and self-service modes. For both interfaces to coexist within a single application, the development team had to make profound changes to the solutions' architecture: reworking modules, distributions, and initialization mechanisms.
The main difficulty was not merely combining the functionalities, but ensuring system stability during "hot" mode switching, so that the unique functions of one checkout type would not conflict with the other. This required the implementation of a dynamic architecture, where each module is capable of:
- Starting, re-initializing, and unloading correctly without restarting the entire system.
- Working with a single database and connected peripherals.
- Project Description
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"Three Prices" is the largest low-price store chain in the Republic of Belarus. It is present in all cities with a population of 5 thousand people or more.
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On the market since 2016.
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340 stores in 144 cities.
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684 checkouts.
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Over 1,000 employees.
- Average store area: 100-200 m². Average number of checkouts: 2.
The first obvious solution was self-service checkouts (SCO), which many retailers were already using successfully.
In January 2025, the "Three Prices" chain also decided to test this, at the time the only available, solution. The retailer reviewed proposals from several vendors, compared the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and the quality of the Self-Service Checkouts (SCO). They chose CSI equipment.
As a pilot project, 8 self-service checkouts were installed in stores on separate tables, in addition to the traditional checkouts. Cashiers were given tablets with the "Consultant Station" solution installed, which allows for remote cancellation and confirmation of operations.
Despite the obvious advantages, this solution did not fully meet the needs of "Three Prices". Cash payments were not possible on the SCO, some customers still went to regular checkouts, and the installation required additional space or labor-intensive removal of a regular checkout, which was not very suitable for small formats.
In response to this problem, CSI company introduced a hybrid checkout, which combined two devices in one: a touch POS for the cashier and a self-service checkout for the customer.
The hybrid is installed in place of a regular checkout and does not require additional floor space in the store. Depending on the situation, the device quickly switches between modes, even during an active session. For example, a customer can scan items and then call a cashier to process a cash payment.
Furthermore, the CSI m.kit hybrid checkout allowed for displaying advertisements for promotions and products on the customer screen while in standby mode, which was also important for the chain.
The retailer approved the solution, and the first hybrid checkout was installed directly at the cashier's counter, replacing a third traditional checkout, and put into operation.
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- Project geography
- Republic of Belarus