Retailers often utilize optical character recognition technology at checkout to quickly identify products. This process involves capturing data encoded in barcodes or other machine-readable formats printed on product packaging or tags. For example, cashiers can swiftly process items by passing them over a scanner, which reads the encoded information and retrieves corresponding product details like price and description.
This automated identification system streamlines the checkout process, reducing customer wait times and minimizing manual data entry errors. It also facilitates inventory management by providing real-time data on sales, enabling more accurate stock control and reducing the risk of overstocking or shortages. Historically, this technology has significantly increased efficiency within the retail sector, transitioning from manual price checks to automated systems that improve both customer and employee experiences.
