Self checkout service in costco, is it really a good idea?
I went to Costco this afternoon, and noticed they have opened 4 new self-service lines for express checkout.
At first this seems to be a good idea and a logical choice - it saves time , labor, and hey everyone else is doing it.
but is it really a good idea?
Unlike Safeway, Target or Wal-Mart, Costco makes money depending on the fact that its consumers, on average, spend more money per trip than any of its competitors. they also spend more time and wait longer in the line. People buy more partly because, subconsciously, they need to justify the additional time and effort they have put in.
so I think - express checkout in costco? be careful, it might not be a good idea since the customer tends to buy less with express checkout. This might change their shopping habit and expectations for a Costco trip in the long term. Makes Costco less distinguishable from its competitors.
What does it mean to a product manager?
a. deliver a product that meets consumers’ expectations consistently and fit their lifestyle behaviors is different, but often more important than delivering a better product.
b. measure long term benefit as well as short term benefits. Unfortunately, most traditional testing methods only focus on the short term
