ACNielsen Finds Self Check-Out Lanes Get Mixed Reviews; Many Households Have Tried Self Check-Out Lanes; Less Than One-Third Think ``They are Great''.

Business Editors

SCHAUMBURG, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 10, 2003

ACNielsen U.S., an operating unit of ACNielsen, a VNU business, today reported that 61 percent of U.S. households have used self check-out lanes, with 32 percent of those agreeing that "they are great." Many more shoppers who have tried the do-it-yourself check-out lanes (52 percent) said "they are okay," and 16 percent called them "frustrating." The research comes from a new ACNielsen Homescan(R) consumer panel survey of 61,500 nationally representative U.S. households.

Todd Hale, senior vice president, ACNielsen Consumer Insights, said, "Self-check out is still a relatively new phenomenon, so it's good news for retailers that so many households have tried the new lanes. However, retailers who want to grow consumer acceptance, satisfaction, and continued use of the do-it-yourself check-out lanes need to offer shoppers more help in getting comfortable with the process."

As the chart below shows, usage of self check-out lanes is greatest among larger, higher income, younger, and more educated households.

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             Percentage of respondents who have ever used
               a self check-out lane at a retail store
----------------------------------------------------------------------
    HH Size         HH Income       Age of Female  Education of Female
                                     Head of HH        Head of HH
----------------------------------------------------------------------
1 person    53%   less than  50%   less than  73%   High School   55%
                  $25K             35               or Less
----------------------------------------------------------------------
2 people    61%   $25-$35K   59%   35-54      66%   Some College  65%
----------------------------------------------------------------------
3-4 people  66%   $35-$50K   64%   55+        49%   College Grad  70%
----------------------------------------------------------------------
5+ people   68%   greater    70%   No Female  57%   No Female     57%
                  than $50K        Head of HH       Head of HH
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: ACNielsen Homescan survey, July-August 2003

As for the future, 70 percent of those who have tried self check-out lanes plan to use them again. Just 25 percent of those who have never tried the lanes plan to do so in the future.

According to Phil Lempert, NBC Today Show food trends editor and a consultant to ACNielsen, "For many shoppers, self-checkout is intimidating. Retailers must be proactive in demonstrating the units and pointing out the time savings for shoppers. Unfortunately, if one does experience a problem--not having a price ring up correctly, for example, or having to wait for a customer service person to correct a malfunction--odds are they will never return to the self check-out lane again. Consumers have zero tolerance for new technologies that don't meet their needs."

The self check-out lanes research is featured in the November issue of Facts, Figures & the Future, the monthly e-newsletter published by ACNielsen, the Food Marketing Institute, and Phil Lempert. To read the rest of the November issue and for a free subscription, go to www.factsfiguresfuture.com.

The ACNielsen Homescan consumer panel is the CPG industry's preeminent consumer panel. Members of the nationally representative panel, now numbering 61,500 households and growing to more than twice that number by 2005, are equipped with patented in-home scanners. Using these hand-held devices, household members record their purchases of UPC-coded products, prescription medications, and fresh foods/random weight items, and complete periodic attitudinal surveys. This information is then downloaded to ACNielsen for analysis.

ACNielsen, a VNU business, is the world's leading marketing information company. Offering services in more than 100 countries, the company provides measurement and analysis of marketplace dynamics and consumer attitudes and behavior. Clients rely on ACNielsen's market research, proprietary products, analytical tools and professional service to understand competitive performance, to uncover new opportunities and to raise the profitability of their marketing and sales campaigns.

Note to Editors: Look for this press release and other ACNielsen news on the Internet at http://acnielsen.com/news.