This is how Bónus implemented self-scanning in Iceland!
Self-scanning has been a game-changer for both retailers and shoppers on markets all over the world. While this type of retail technology had not yet been that common in Iceland, retailers on the Icelandic market had become more aware of the benefits during recent years.
One of these retailers was Bónus. Being Iceland’s leading no-frills supermarket chain, Bónus is known among both shoppers and competitors for being innovative - and had naturally been reviewing self-scanning alternatives for quite some time. After a successful launch of self-checkouts in their stores, it was time to start the implementation of self-scanning.
But implementing this type of solution is both complex and time-consuming. In order to be successful, there is a need for a strong project group of carefully selected partners, advocates, and stakeholders – and to ensure a good collaboration between them.
This is the story about how one of Iceland’s largest retailers implemented self-scanning!
The right time for the next step
There are several factors determining how and when retailers should take the next step with their retail-technology initiatives. Technological maturity, available infrastructure and shoppers’ preferences are some of the factors that play a part if and when a new retail solution will be successful. This is true for implementing self-scanning as well – and Bónus recognized the opportunity as it appeared.
The Icelandic discount supermarket chain Bónus was founded in 1989, and currently has 33 stores up and running. At the project start, they were already familiar with the concept of self-scanning as they had been looking into this type of solution already back in 2015. For various reasons that project was delayed, although they did implement self-checkout in their stores. While self-checkout is now a common occurrence among retailers all over Iceland, the first successful self-checkout was implemented as late as 2018. But as they quickly realized that the Icelandic customers enjoyed this type of self-service solution, Bónus were inspired to take the next step towards the implementation of self-scanning.
Only a few retailers in Iceland had implemented self-scanning technology before Bónus – and only one of them being a direct competitor. But inspired by the success of self-checkout, as well as from their conducted market research, it became apparent that Bónus’ customers were ready for this type of retail technology.
In 2020 the discussions about self-scanning started anew, and in 2022 Bónus were ready to begin. During the summer of 2022, external partners such as NVL, Zebra Technologies, LS Retail and Datema Retail became directly involved in the project.
Involved parties:
The device decision
Should the self-scanning be done using a smartphone or a dedicated device? In Iceland, the bring-your-own-device approach, meaning that shoppers use their own smartphones for scanning, had been the only option from the main competitor in the market for self-scanning thus far. This was however not an optimal solution for Bónus and their customers, primarily due to the average basket size being quite large. This meant that a dedicated self-scanning device was a more suitable option, which was also supported by the market research. Using this knowledge, Bónus started to look into various self-scanning hardware, as well as compatible software.
When deciding upon a suitable self-scanning device, the Zebra PS20 quickly became a favourite. Bónus and Zebra share a long history, as Bónus has been using Zebra products in various instances since the 1990’s! The longstanding relationship combined with some key aspects in Zebra’s offering made the choice fairly easy.
Some of the benefits of using Zebra scanners are summarized in the following statement from Zebra Technologies:
“Adding innovative tech is critical to customer success, but it can be complex and disruptive. Zebra’s consulting team helps customers accelerate adoption, and maximize productivity without affecting workflows, business processes, and finances. [The consultants] bring comprehensive, industry-focused, business-aligned solutions to support [customers] throughout the whole transformation process and beyond, ensuring that the correct technology is selected, designed, integrated, deployed, and adopted to meet the overarching business outcomes.
With Zebra consulting team, customers can ensure new technology is designed, built and ready for integration into their IT landscape with maximum uptime to achieve business goals today and in the future. Customers also give their employees the knowledge they need, when and how they need it to help deliver rapid returns on new edge-data technology.”
“With Zebra consulting team, customers can ensure new technology is designed, built and ready for integration into their IT landscape with maximum uptime to achieve business goals today and in the future.”
Another thing that sets the self-scanning solution of Bónus apart from the other retailers on the Icelandic market, is the choice to use an external software provider – not a software solution created in-house. After careful reviews, Bónus selected the EasyShop solution from Datema Retail.
A complex project with a lot to gain
As with all large projects, the stakes were high and there was a need for extensive planning before the implementation could begin. Steinar Kristjánsson, Chief Information Officer at Bónus, recalls there were about 18 key players involved, both internally and externally. From Datema Retail’s side, Jérémy Daleux was the main point of contact and project manager for the EasyShop integration.
Adding to the complexity, it was unusual that a project affected such large portion of the company. Several divisions were directly or indirectly affected, from IT to marketing and in-store staff members - the project scope required a strong company infrastructure.
The project scope was very large from an IT-perspective - this was a significantly larger project than the self-checkout installation that was carried out some years before, primarily due to the project complexity and the many parties involved.
Also marketing and communication proved to have a vital role throughout the project. Baldur Ólafsson, Marketing Director at Bónus mentions that in addition to the extensive market research conducted beforehand, an ambitious marketing campaign was launched when the self-scanning initiative became official. The slogan "GRIPIÐ & GREITT - beint i pokann" can be translated to "Grab & pay - straight in the bag”. The new self-scanning solution was shown on billboards, TV commercials and through other channels, in order to spark the excitement and awareness among the shoppers.
Communication-wise, it was also important for Bónus that there was an ongoing dialogue, both internally and externally as the project proceeded.
"GRIPIÐ & GREITT - beint i pokann" can be translated to "Grab & pay - straight in the bag”.
A collaborative environment - from start to finish
Due to the many parties involved in this project, the complexity initially brought some concerns among the participants. Not only where there various companies involved, the project participants represented several countries and cultures. Could this potentially cause friction and raise barriers to communication?
But as the project had been initiated, many of the fears disappeared. “Everything went really well, as soon as we got going”, said Jón Gunnarsson from NVL. This was further emphasized by other members of the project. By appointing an external Project Manager, overseeing the project from a holistic perspective and having ongoing discussions with the project managers representing their respective division, it was possible to make sure that tasks were not dropped or forgotten.
Also from Bónus’ perspective, the collaboration with the external parties was good. “We could not have done it without our valuable partners”, said Steinar Kristjánsson, highlighting that the key players treated the project as their own, making the success possible.
The closeness and access to Datema personnel was also brought up as a positive part of the collaboration. Jón Gunnarsson mentions how issues could be resolved quickly, due to the well-established communication channels.
The end result
After several months of hard work, the self-scanning project was ready to go live in the first Bónus store: the Smáratorg store located in Kópavogur was the first one to offer self-scanning to its customers. In May 2023 this became a reality, with more stores to follow throughout the year.
“I would say it is a really big success, in all senses. It is a new technology that the customers have adopted, it is nice to see how well the customers have adopted to it.”, says Sigbor Samuelsson at NVL.
“I would say it is a really big success, in all senses. It is a new technology that the customers have adopted, it is nice to see how well the customers have adopted to it.”
As the project had brought together a wide range of stakeholders, each playing a crucial role in contributing to the projects success’, there was a lot to celebrate after the launch. Not only had history been written on the Icelandic retail market – the project was also an inspiring and educational experience for the project members. Jérémy Daleux from Datema Retail says: “Bonus’s strong family foundation is evident in its operations and culture but despite the growth, the company has maintained its original spirit and values. It has been a unique and exciting opportunity to assist Bonus on implementing Self Scanning using EasyShop for the first time in Iceland.”
This innovation reflects Bonus forward-thinking approach and dedication to enhancing customer experience.
What are some of the key takeaways from the project?
Among the key takeaways from this projects, Steinar Kristjánsson mentions the importance of never underestimating the project size. This occurred at the beginning of the project, but thanks to the collaboration and communication with the key partners, the project was successfully managed and completed.
Another insight from the project is the importance of dedication – not only from the project owner, but the stakeholders as well. “The main thing that I take away from this is to work with strong partners, that actually care”, says Baldur Ólafsson at Bónus, further highlighting the importance of solid partnerships and carefully compiled teams. Jérémy from Datema Retail agrees with this perspective, pointing out that “…having both Datema and Bonus a strong commitment to enhancing the customer experience, I think that it was clear for Bonus that EasyShop was the right fit for them.”, highlighting the shared common goals among the team members.
“…having both Datema and Bonus a strong commitment to enhancing the customer experience, I think that it was clear for Bonus that EasyShop was the right fit for them”
The educational part, primarily for staff members in the stores, was another interesting observation. “You cannot underestimate the training [of personnel]”, says Baldur Ólafsson, who initially had not realized how much training that was needed for the staff. A solution to this occurrence, as more stores are getting self-scanning, is to bring individuals to the stores that already have the self-scanning in place.
New learnings emerge as more stores are implementing self-scanning, and valuable insights are provided also from Bónus’ customers. The relationship between Bónus and their shoppers does almost seem unique – there is a continuous conversation going on, through various channels, and the shoppers are not afraid to speak their mind. “People let us know if we are heading in the wrong direction”, says Baldur Ólafsson. This does provide management with fast and insightful feedback, which will let them know when initiatives are successful – and when things should be improved. Luckily, the self-scanning solution has been appreciated among Bónus’ customers. Both on social media and in-store, the reception towards the self-scanning setup has generally been positive. Moreover, the customers frequently visiting Bónus stores that does not yet have the self-scanning solution in place, have been vocal about wanting to self-scan at their local store as well.
What is next for Bónus?
What is next for Bónus and self-scanning? As more Bónus stores are implementing the self-scanning technology, the work on improving the customer experience is ongoing. While self-scanning in itself is a smart solution to offer, it is also possible to integrate the solution with other systems, in order to maximize the value among shoppers.
And the people at Bónus are aiming to remain the industry leader in Iceland. “When it comes to technology, we want to be at the forefront”, says Baldur Ólafsson and talks about the various projects that are in the pipeline - stay tuned to see what Bónus is offering next!
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