Target Rolls Out Emojis For Self-Checkout

To make self-checkout more user-friendly and enjoyable, Target has rolled out updates to the experience. For example, Target is now allowing consumers to select produce by using emojis, the retailer said in an announcement.

Target launched the feature because it has found that buying produce is a pain point for consumers. When consumers search the full selection of a retailer’s items at self-checkout, they might inadvertently choose the incorrect item from a dropdown menu. As a result, Target rolled out a way for consumers to select fresh vegetables and fruits with emojis. Consumers can select a cry-face emoji for onions, for example.

In terms of other updates, Target’s experience includes a filter for customers to select the retailer’s most popular items. Also new is a back button to allow customers to correct mistakes in the self-checkout process.

The news comes as Target has brought its Drive Up service to 200 additional stores in the Midwest and select states with its latest expansion of the service. Drive Up allows consumers to order products through Target’s mobile app and pick them up outside a Target store.

The service is already established in markets such as Chicago, Indianapolis and Columbus, and with this expansion, Drive Up is available at more than 800 brick-and-mortar locations in 25 states. Target said that it plans to bring the service to more markets in late August and plans to have 1,000 stores offering it by the holidays.

Through the service, customers order products through Target’s app and drive to the store. When they arrive, employees deliver the goods to customers’ cars. Orders are usually ready within an hour after customers place them. The offering could be seen as a way to adapt to changes in the retail landscape, spurred by companies such as Amazon. Drive Up already has potential to increase sales: Target experienced a 10 percent rise in orders with the new service, which has been particularly popular with families — diapers and household supplies are top sellers.