22 • September | October 2026 • abasto.com How to Combine Technology and Human Warmth Without Losing the Traditional Shopper BY HERNANDO RAMÍREZ-SANTOS W alking into an average supermar- ket in the United States today is like stepping into a silent laboratory. Scales that recognize products, hybrid checkout lanes that combine self-service with staff assistance, touchscreen kiosks next to the meat counter, and artificial intelligence systems that adjust prices in real time. The digital transformation of the food retail industry is moving fast, but not all shoppers are keeping pace. That is precisely the central challenge of the so-called “smart store”: incorporating te- chnology without alienating the traditional customer—the one who values a greeting from the butcher, a recommendation from the baker, or simply the assurance that a hu- man being will answer their questions. A Revolution That Began at the Checkout The digitization of the sales floor is nothing new. It began years ago with self-checkout lanes and has evolved into handheld scanners, Scan&Go-type mobi- le apps, facial recognition for payments, and cashier-less stores. This is documented in an academic re- view published in the journal Foods (MDPI, 2024), authored by researchers from the Silesian University of Technology (Poland) and Celal Bayar University in Manisa (Tur- key), which traces the technological evo- lution of the food retail industry from the traditional counter to augmented reality. The study identifies clear benefits of self-service: it reduces wait times, gives shoppers autonomy, and frees up staff for other tasks. But it also documents a pat- tern that any store manager will recogni- ze: not everyone adopts it equally. THE SMART STORE According to the research, older con- sumers use self-service technologies less frequently, have less confidence in using them, and miss human interaction more than younger shoppers. Recent market data confirm this gene- rational gap. A 2025 survey by The Fee- dback Group, a consumer research firm cited by media outlets such as Grocery Dive and Chain Store Age , found that shoppers who use staffed checkout lanes report hi- gher satisfaction (4.45 out of 5) than those who use self-checkout (4.29). The same study confirms that baby boomers and the Silent Generation continue to prefer the traditional supermarket as their primary shopping format. The dilemma isn’t “technology yes or no” A common mistake, industry experts point out, is to view digitiza- tion as a replacement for staff rather than a complement. In its 2025 Retail Experience Report, NCR Voyix found that 77% of shoppers pre- fer self-checkout for its speed. Still, nearly 20% of those who avoid these techno- logies do so because they prefer interacting with an employee. In other words, techno- logy does not divide customers into “mo- dern” and “old-fas- hioned” groups, but rather into groups with different needs depending on the mo- ment of purchase. The solution that leading chains—from Stop & Shop and Giant to Meijer—are adopting is the hybrid model: maintaining staffed checkout lanes, adding self-ser- vice areas, and, above all, using technology as a tool to support employees rather than as a replacement for them. • Continues on page24 • TECHNOLOGY FOCUS