Hybrid / Convertible Tills - The Good, Bad and Ugly - Retailer Insights

Our SCO working group meet annually to explore hybrid tills, and how the space taken up by the assisted checkouts ("manned tills") that is really only used at peak, can be used in a better way to improve the front end experience with hybrid tills, and discuss the operational practices that can help grow participation and reduce losses.

In our 2025 meeting, one of the retailers in the group shared their programme that is now in 300+ stores, with the other retailers then sharing back their experience and latest thinking.

Here are six insights and takeaways from this meeting on hybrid / convertible tills (also called “flexi tills” or “assisted self-service”)

#1: Why Hybrid Tills?

• Customer choice & convenience: Hybrids cater to both those who want staffed interaction and those preferring self-service.
• Better use of underutilised assets: Repurpose tills that otherwise sit idle outside peak periods (e.g., Christmas).
• Operational efficiency: One colleague can manage three tills in self-service mode, improving labour productivity.
• Innovation & brand value: Seen as forward-looking, modernising the checkout experience.
• Mobile Scan & Go: With the extra space at flexi tills, they can become a more convenient way for shoppers to pay and for stores to support checks / audits if required.

#2: What about Adoption & Uptake?

• Still relatively early stage: only ~16% of retailers surveyed have deployed hybrids; ~26% are trialling. Click here for benchmark study results from a sample of fifty retailers.
• One retailer shared that hybrids in their business and stores have shown strong adoption with double-digit movement of transactions from manned to self-service, exceeding expectations which were in the single digits.
• Customers value the extra space and time versus standard SCO corrals.

#3: What are the Key Challenges?

• Customer confusion: Despite signage, many still expect a cashier to be present.
• Change management: Essential to have colleagues trained and engaged. Regional “change coaches” (experienced checkout staff seconded to support installations) were highlighted as critical enablers to success.
• Shrink & scan accuracy: Concerns about under-scanning, bottom-of-basket, and theft risks. Weighted bagging scales and AI video analytics (“Scan Assist”) are being deployed / explored to mitigate but at a cost.
• CapEx and ROI: High upfront investment; returns depend on labour efficiency and transaction shift. It was noted that the investment may be higher for those retailers where new infrastructure would be needed, and less where the basic "shell" of the existing till infrastructure can be adapted.
• Fit with existing controls: One retailer shared how they had used exit gates on their existing SCO corral and that the introduction of hybrids, which would be outside of the SCO corral and thus not protected by gates, would weaken the impact of that investment and the "locking down" of the front end.

#4. The Implementation Learnings

• Placement matters: Positioned next to basket SCOs, hybrids attract medium-to-large basket customers but not deep-trolley shoppers.
• Signage and branding: One retailer has branded them “Assisted Self-Service” to cover both modes and avoid the perception of job cuts.
• Blueprint approach: Some retailers are now including hybrids in new stores/refits where viable (high card usage, low cash reliance).
• Sustainability of training: Embedding customer coaching and colleague training early helps adoption and avoids dips in satisfaction.

#5. Customer & Colleague Impact

• Customer satisfaction: Initial hesitancy, but adoption stabilises; overall for the case study, the NPS did not drop below thresholds. However, one retailer shared that their hybrid tills initially showed a dip in NPS that returned to the baseline after 6 months, and then dipped again when they were removed.
• Colleague role evolution: Staff move from transaction processing to customer support, which requires mindset and cultural shifts.
• All retailers reported cultural change as the hardest part, shoppers and store associates.

#6. Future Directions

• Integration of AI video analytics for both SCO and hybrid tills to reduce shrink to detect scan avoidance and identify items in bottom of basket / cart not presented for sale.
• Trials in convenience formats (smaller stores).
• Lack of data on impact on loss: The ongoing debate on balancing customer experience, shrink risk, and cost efficiency needs to be informed by trusted data, data that is currently not easy to acquire.

In summary, hybrid or convertible tills (“assisted self-service”) can successfully help retailers repurpose underused manned lanes to balance customer choice and operational efficiency. The case study retailer’s rollout shows strong adoption, with more transactions shifting from manned to self-service than forecast.

Key benefits include better space use, one colleague covering three tills, and improved customer experience for larger baskets. Challenges remain, namely customer confusion despite signage, cultural change for colleagues, and shrink risks requiring AI video analytics and weighted bagging. Success hinges on careful store selection, strong colleague training, and clear branding.

Above all, we heard from all retailers that culture and change management, not technology, are the hardest barriers to overcome.

This meeting was just one of many online meetings of the SCO working group. All retailers are invited to participate in these meetings, at no cost. Click here for the landing page of this group.