Confirm Self-Service Transactions Soundly

Point-of-sale technologies like self-checkout kiosks can save money for retailers and time for customers. The downside is that many shoppers feel uncomfortable using the technologies. Researchers at Oregon State University and Rutgers University found that an underappreciated cause of this is mistrust in the performance of the device.
     The researchers then identified a simple way to increase the trust: Give sounds of confirmation as the transaction progresses. Silence generates annoying uncertainty, while a brief series of tones, for instance, tells the customer that the device is carrying out their wishes. This relaxes the customer’s concerns about the device’s performance, including the accuracy of tabulations and the security of cashless payment information. In the studies, this raised customer satisfaction and purchase intentions.
     Most self-service technologies do generate confirmation sounds. But marketers might not realize how the nature of the sound impacts the degree of trust which is generated or mistrust reduced. For instance, use higher-pitched auditory confirmation in busy store environments where the mishmash of sounds, smells, and sights disrupts the customer’s concentration. Higher-pitched tones break through sensory clutter.
     In less busy environments, you might choose more soothing sounds. People associate lower pitches with trustworthiness. Or consider making the final transaction confirmation signal a snippet of the jingle melody from your radio and TV ad. Signature sensory sensations strengthen the store image. Still another option is to close out the sale with a sound of closing out, such as that of a door shutting. Studies suggest this will reduce the rate of people returning merchandise.
     Since some of the last sounds the shopper hears before leaving the store are those associated with making the purchase, those sounds are significant. A most pleasing sound to a customer completing a transaction is “Thank you,” so you might be tempted to use “Thank you” as the final confirmation sound on self-checkout terminals. I recommend against this because it risks entering the uncanny valley. When we can’t tell whether a computerized representation of a human is real or not, we experience revulsion. If the android looks exactly like a human being, we’re attracted to it. If it looks similar to a human, but we can easily tell it’s not real, we’re amused. However, when the resemblance is very close, but we’re not sure if it’s real, we feel creepy. That dip in the positive emotion is why the effect is called the uncanny valley.

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