OurCoop secured the Operational Excellence in Customer Experience Award at the Operational Excellence Awards UK 2026, distinguished for its Self Checkout and Customer Experience Project, which combined people, process, technology, and behavioural change to improve how customers shop.

The project delivered clear operational gains. Self-checkout usage rose by 24.7%, customer intervention delays fell by 50%, and annualised labour savings reached £670,000. These outcomes show that customer-facing improvements can also release operational capacity and reduce cost.

Judges commended the organisation’s approach. “Our judges were impressed by the way OurCoop combined people, process, technology, and behavioural change to improve the customer experience,” the panel stated. “Self checkout usage increased by 24.7%, customer intervention delays fell by 50%, and the project delivered £670,000 in annualised labour savings. The focus on accessibility, colleague engagement, and customer feedback also demonstrates how operational improvement can deliver stronger experiences alongside measurable business results.”

The recognition reflects a wider shift in retail and co-operative operations, where customer experience and operational efficiency are increasingly pursued together. Self-checkout programmes often fail when customers feel left unsupported, so OurCoop’s attention to accessibility and colleague engagement stands out as a practical lesson for the sector.

The emphasis on customer feedback also shows a disciplined approach to improvement. By listening to users and adjusting the system accordingly, OurCoop built a model that can be refined over time rather than installed and left unchanged.

Heading into the 2027 awards cycle, OurCoop’s achievement reflects how operational excellence in customer experience depends on balancing technology with people. Organisations that treat self-service as part of a wider service design, rather than a cost-cutting tool alone, are well placed to deliver lasting value.

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