BM Caterers is trialing artificial intelligence (AI) self-checkout systems at two client sites, with the potential for a wider rollout in 2025 if successful.
The business is testing the new technology at the headquarters of a logistics company in Crewe and at a law firm in London.
The Deligo AI self-checkout system automatically recognises items without the need to scan barcodes. This innovation aims to automate routine cashier tasks, enabling staff to focus on higher-value customer interactions, while also helping to reduce queues, product recognition errors, and ‘shrinkage’.
Customers place all their items on a tray simultaneously, where they are instantly recognised, and their total value is calculated.
In addition to packaged products, the system uses dual-camera technology to recognise freshly prepared food, such as the individual components of an English cooked breakfast, whether on a plate or in takeaway packaging. The technology also ensures that non-food items, like phones or keys, are ignored. Items can be detected accurately even when placed close together.
Following a successful trial, BM plans to roll out the Deligo AI self-checkout system across 15 additional client sites by early 2025.
Antony Prentice, BM managing director, said: “I have seen a couple of demos of the Deligo smart tills now and have to say I was massively impressed with how the tech has evolved since the very early days of AI tills. This trial gives us a fantastic opportunity to now see how the tills work in practice in busy environments and also how they are received by both our customers and team members alike.”