Most 7-Eleven rewards members—69%—use self-checkout at convenience stores, according to a survey from Brainfreeze Collective, 7-Eleven’s research panel comprised of more than 250,000 of the more than 80 million 7Rewards and Speedy Rewards members.
Of that group, only 7% use self-checkout machines every time they shop, while 20% use it most of the time, 24% use it sometimes and 19% rarely use it.
- 7-Eleven is No. 1 on CSP’s 2025 Top 202 ranking of U.S. c-store chains by store count.
The Irving, Texas-based convenience-store chain is expanding its checkout formats, Raghu Mahadevan, executive vice president of logistics and chief digital officer at 7-Eleven and Ashima Patel, senior director of 7NEXT innovation, research and development, marketing tech, digital strategy and analytics at 7-Eleven said in a joint statement to CSP.
Customers have the option to pay via traditional cashier service, the chain's proprietary self-checkout system and mobile checkout.
The chain is also piloting a new Quick Check Out (QCO) option, which is artificial intelligence (AI)-powered and enables customers to place all products on a platform for instant recognition and payment, eliminating the need to scan each item individually. QCO was built in-house with design support from Palo Alto, California-based consultant StudioRed, Mahadevan and Patel said.
Most consumers surveyed, 62%, choose self-checkout for faster transaction times, according to the survey. Other customers choose it because of shorter lines, ease with small purchases and comfort with technology.
Once they choose self-checkout, 37% of survey respondents want easy-to-use touch screens and 36% want the ability to link loyalty programs, the survey showed.
“The majority of our self-checkout users are enrolled in our loyalty programs,” the pair said. “Our systems are designed to integrate directly with loyalty accounts, making it easy for customers to earn and redeem rewards at checkout.”
Mobile payment is another preference within self-checkout features, according to respondents, and 7-Eleven's self-checkout accepts Apple Pay and Google Pay, Mahadevan and Patel said. Other preferences within self-checkout noted in the survey digital coupon usage, digital and paper receipt options, voice guidance and language options.
Separate from mobile payment, mobile checkout allows customers to scan and pay for items directly through the 7-Eleven and Speedway apps. Paying through the apps’ digital wallets also gives customers benefits like bonus points and fuel discounts, they said. Mobile checkout is in 9,000 U.S. 7-Eleven stores and expanding,
Grab-and-go food and drink items are the most popular purchases at self-checkout, with 79% of survey respondents saying that’s what they typically purchase. Next, 38% buy everyday groceries, 23% use self-checkout for non-food items, 14% buy health-related items and 8% purchase age-restricted items.
The largest problem survey respondents said they face is the need for staff assistance. Respondents are also challenged with scanning issues, technical glitches, limited space for items, problems with age-verification, difficulty with produce and difficulty with payment delays.
When asked how c-stores can motivate them to use self-checkout, survey respondents said faster processing, fewer errors, more user-friendly screens, more space for items, more security and safety, additional payment options and easier produce lookup.
“We’re continuing to refine the item lookup experience in our mobile checkout and self-checkout solutions across thousands of stores to deliver a more seamless experience,” said Mahadevan and Patel.
The customers surveyed mostly purchase one to five items when they use self-checkout. The bigger the basket size, the less likely they are to use self-checkout, according to the survey. Twenty-two percent of consumers would use self-checkout to purchase six to 10 items, 8% would use it for 11-15 items and 4% would use it for 16-plus items.
“Looking ahead, we’re focused on accelerating personalization, increasing value-driven rewards and improving in-store scan rates to enhance the digital connection between customers and our brand, making self-checkout even more intuitive and rewarding,” said Mahadevan and Patel.
Self-checkout is live in more than 3,000 7-Eleven and Speedway stores across the U.S. and Canada, Mahadevan and Patel said. Depending on store size, layout, and shopping patterns, most locations feature between one and three self-checkout stations.
Brainfreeze Collective’s self-checkout survey collected responses from 13,518 in May. 7-Eleven’s The Brainfreeze Collective is a research community of 7-Eleven and Speedway customers used to connect customer’s purchase data to their attitudes and beliefs. The Brainfreeze Collective offers bespoke quantitative and qualitative research to understand the behaviors and needs of the immediate consumption shopper.