A recent study by Microsoft, Cap Gemini, Ernst and Young, Cisco Systems and Intel revealed that up to half of customers may be driven away from a store without making a purchase because of the frustration caused by waiting at the checkout or inadequate stock information.

This is a particular challenge for supermarket and convenience store chains, where competition for customer loyalty is fierce and margins are smaller than in retail sectors such as fashion or DIY. As a result, retail groups are increasingly investing in technology to help improve the shopping experience for customers and tempt them back again.

Take the Anglia Regional Co-operative Society (ARCS) for example. It operates over 100 outlets including Rainbow Supermarkets, Co-op Local convenience stores and Westgate Department Stores, which can be found throughout East Anglia and as far afield as Hartlepool in the North, Gloucester in the West and Watford in the South. The Society has recently replaced its cash registers with an advanced EPoS solution from Hampshire-based Matra Systems for its 31 Food Division stores in order to enhance efficiency, provide better stock information for store managers and improve communications with Head Office.

Rolled out across the Co-op Locals and Rainbow Supermarket formats, the solution consists of touchscreen terminals (the Rainbow stores use a combination of touchscreen and keyboards), running Matra's Freedom retail management software, integrated EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer) and scanners. To complete the new system and further enhance transaction speed and customer waiting times, the Co-op replaced its old impact receipt printers with Epson TM-H6000IIs, which offer both fast thermal receipt printing and jam-free cheque printing.

Each till is connected, via Ethernet, to the store back office so the managers can monitor sales. In addition, the barcode-based stock management infrastructure means staff can now check the price or availability of any item quickly and easily. Every night the store connects to the ARCS's Head Office system in Peterborough through an ISDN link to download the sales information and stock replenishment details. Information about new products, prices, new offers and promotions can be sent automatically from Head Office to all the stores.

"We selected Matra as our solution partner because their customer base includes prestigious names such as Disney, Woolworths and Somerfield," said ARCS's Senior Business Systems Analyst, Richard Feest. "We also felt it was important to work with a company which had proven expertise in interfacing with IBM software as we had no immediate plans to change our Head Office systems. As for the printers, their speed and reliability is fantastic - we couldn't ask for more!"

"The Matra till system has given us a better image of service in the eyes of our customers and the staff reaction has been superb," added Food Business Manager, Andy Simpson. "The use of the Epson printers has greatly improved the customer service at the point of sale through the cheque-printing function, and more importantly, quicker receipt-printing."

Following the successful roll out, the ARCS now plans to invest in Matra software across all its store formats over the next year.