24 • September | October 2026 • abasto.com 05 Insights to Apply in-Store The Case of the Counter: Ordering Without Waiting in Line The clearest example of this philosophy can be found in the meat and bakery sections. Supermarket chains in the United States and Europe have installed touchscreen kiosks that allow customers to order a specific cut of meat or a custom cake without physically waiting in line at the counter. The customer continues shopping while the order is being prepared and picks it up when it’s ready. According to the specialized website Kiosk Marketplace, this format replaces the traditional laminated photo album used to order cakes, reducing errors such as omitting a detail on a handwritten form. And in Germany, the Edeka chain tested a similar kiosk in 2026 at its Uetersen loca- tion: customers place their orders on the screen, receive a printed receipt, continue shopping, and pick up their order at a de- signated spot, as reported by AV Magazine. The result doesn’t eliminate the butcher or the baker—it frees them from taking or- ders one by one so they can devote more time to preparing orders and serving cus- tomers directly at the counter. Kiosk provider Aila Technologies, which works with Ahold Delhaize (Stop & Shop, Giant) and Meijer, describes this approach as a way to reallocate staff from “taking orders” to “fulfilling orders,” im- proving productivity without sacrificing human contact at the point of delivery. What the Numbers Say The efficiency data is compelling. According to estimates from the self-service kiosk sector compiled by the Local Express platform, the- se systems can increase transac- tion throughput by 35% to 50% du- ring peak hours. And in the field of artificial intelligence applied to in- ventory, a study by St. Mary’s Uni- versity (San Antonio, Texas, 2026), focused on LSTM-type demand forecasting models, documented a 42.9% reduction in forecasting error compared to traditional me- thods, as well as a decrease of up to 24.3% in stockouts and 19.4% in storage costs. These operational benefits, however, occur behind the scenes: in the back room, with the algori- thm, the smart scale, or the auto- matic restocking system. The visi- ble customer experience—the one that determines whether they re- turn—continues to depend on the balance between the screen and the person. The store of the future, then, does not replace people with screens, but one that uses screens so that people—both employees and cus- tomers—have more time for what technology still cannot offer: an ho- nest recommendation, a cooking tip, or simply a smile at the counter. • Continuation of page 22 77% of U.S. shoppers choose self-service for speed, according to NCR Voyix (2025), but the satisfac- tion gap is 4.45 vs. 4.29 in favor of staffed chec- kout lanes, according to The Feedback Group (2025). 35% to 50% s the increase in tran- saction throughput reported by self-service kiosks during peak hours (Local Express). The use of kiosks in bakeries reduces errors in handwritten orders and eliminates the need for physical catalogs (Kiosk Marketplace). 19.9% of consumers who avoid self-service do so be- cause they prefer to in- teract with an employee (Capital One Shopping Research, 2026). Baby boomers and the Silent Generation con- tinue to choose tradi- tional supermarkets as their primary shopping format, over discount stores (The Feedback Group, 2025). • TECHNOLOGY FOCUS