Will Asda’s automated return system risk the ire of self-service haters?

Asda’s new automated returns system feels very familiar. Simply scan your receipt, the barcode of the item you want to return, follow on-screen instructions and drop the item into a chute. If there is an issue with the system – or you no longer have a receipt – you can call a member of staff for assistance.

The trial – confined to Asda’s Ashton-under-Lyne store in Greater Manchester, for now – is essentially a new iteration of the self-service checkout. The aim is simple: to speed up the returns process. “We recognise that a key pinch point for customers is at the kiosk and customer service desks in our stores,” says Alexander Lacy, senior manager of retail front end service.

On that level, it’s a sensible move. No one wants to be stuck behind someone returning a trolley-load of items. If the tech can help shoppers get in and out of the store as quickly as possible, it may well be perceived as a positive move.

But the automation of what was previously a face-to-face, in-person service also carries an element of risk. After all, it was only back in August that Asda pledged to open more checkouts as part of its emergency £30m injection into store standards. At the time, chief financial officer Michael Gleeson admitted customers had become frustrated at the lack of available manned tills, and the over-reliance on self-service checkouts. Shoppers felt Asda was cutting corners, and they didn’t like it.

So removing staff from the returns process too – at least, as a first port of call – could alienate those shoppers even further. It risks coming across as another cost-cutting exercise, rather than a genuine bid to improve customer experience. At a time when Asda is desperate to improve perceptions of store standards, that’s exactly what it doesn’t need.

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Of course, self-checkouts themselves are a divisive concept. Despite all the media backlash, a global shopper study by retail technology company Zebra in 2023 suggested the British public is roughly divided in half in their preference for manned versus self-checkouts.

Perhaps more crucially, that same study found 76% of shoppers want to get in and out of the self-checkout area as quickly as possible. So the most important thing will likely be how well the technology works.

Anyone who uses self-checkouts knows the familiar dread of hearing the phrases ‘authorisation needed’ or ‘unexpected item in bagging area’. The time it takes to seek staff assistance often renders the self-checkout just as slow as the manned one you had sought to avoid. It’s the equivalent of being stuck behind the customer fumbling around for the correct change, then pulling out a loyalty card at the last minute. So if staff are frequently required to assist in automated returns too, the tech could create more frustration than it eliminates.

That’s likely one reason why Asda has limited the trial to a single store. No doubt it will carefully monitor customer feedback and ease of use before deciding on a wider rollout.

Arguably, it should listen most carefully to the frustrations around the trial – even if voiced by a small minority. Because ironing out any teething problems at this early stage could ensure the tech is perceived as a genuine win for Asda, rather than a cynical cost-cutting exercise.