The Checkout Reimagined: How Qbuster Technologies is Using Edge AI and Smart Merchandising to Save the Physical Queue

From reducing customer friction to right-sizing self-checkout, CEO Keith Carpentier explains how the NY-based queue management leader is blending physical hardware and on-device AI for 10,000-plus retail locations.

In the battle between physical retail and e-commerce, the checkout line has long been the ultimate friction point. While digital shopping offers effortless speed, brick-and-mortar often leaves shoppers tapping their feet in multi-lane traffic jams. New York-based Qbuster Technologies is changing that narrative by turning the dreaded wait into a seamless, revenue-driving experience.

With their solutions deployed in over 10,000 locations for heavyweights such as HomeGoods, TJ Maxx, and Kohl’s, Qbuster blends tactile queueing hardware with smart merchandising and digital call-forwarding. By championing single-line queues that feed into human-led cashiers, they give shoppers the speed they crave while handing retailers prime real estate for impulse purchases.

Now, as the retail landscape shifts again with brands scaling back self-checkout and grappling with clunky software, Qbuster is leaning into “Edge AI” to make physical checkout smarter and more robust than ever.

Here, Carpentier, CEO and Founder of Qbuster Technologies, discusses the irony of AI saving physical hardware, the “dirty secret” of self-checkout, and how a nimble company that started in a wasp-infested attic is now out-innovating legacy giants.

Street Talk: Qbuster has successfully moved beyond traditional stanchions into “digital call-forwarding” and smart merchandising. As retailers face increasing pressure to modernize, how do you balance the need for physical hardware with the growing demand for AI-driven, “invisible” queue management?

Keith Carpentier: That’s an ideal question for where we are at this moment. Not so long ago, software/SaaS solutions dominated and replaced hardware solutions. In an ironic twist, AI is now upending that paradigm. The software-only approach is now vulnerable to a higher evolution of software: AI. 

Our solution, Qbuster Digital Call Forwarding, is used at checkout register points of nationwide retailers. It seamlessly guides customers through the checkout line using visual and audio prompts. Now, our next-generation Qbuster 3 features AI running on its edge. This means the AI resides on the device hardware itself. There is no latency. There is no potential for communication issues that could arise from remote hosting. By doing this, we’ve made our latest system both intelligent and robust. 

You’ve often mentioned that your goal is to level the playing field between in-store and online shopping. What is the single most critical friction point in the physical checkout process that Qbuster solves better than a purely digital or self-checkout alternative?

One of the most consistently cited points of shopper friction is the checkout and long lines. 

The dirty secret with self-checkout is that it is actually slower. Throughput is slower because the average customer takes longer to ring up an order than a professional, trained cashier. 

The perception is that it’s faster for shoppers because clusters of self-checkout pods are often fed by a single line queue. This is not the case in most traditional retail environments. They have multilane queues feeding multiple cashiers.   

Qbuster strikes the sweet spot by leveraging a single line queue into multiple manned cashiers and using technology to quickly and efficiently move customers to the next available cashier.  This is the best of both worlds for shoppers. Additionally, the waiting space created by a single line queue leading up to registers allows for merchandising, which gives retailers an additional revenue opportunity.

With major retailers like Aldi recently refining or even scaling back self-checkout due to customer friction with non-scannable items, how is Qbuster Technologies evolving its tech to solve the “produce and digital immigrant” hurdles that still plague the automated checkout experience?

Yes, self-checkout is definitely having growing pains. To be clear, self-checkout is not going away, but rather, it is being right sized within individual organizations.  

Produce and non-barcoded items are a longstanding challenge, but another problem is establishing queue management into self-checkout environments. 

Typically, there is little to no communication or organization to help customers engage with and move through these self-checkout departments. Think about your own experiences in self-checkout spaces, how do you know where to line up? How do you know when a self-checkout kiosk is available? Do you find yourself standing around [if there’s no one manning this line] and wondering, what do I do?

We are currently working with a group of retailers on self-checkout projects to improve customer experience and operational efficiency.  It’s not about eliminating this as an option for retailers and customers; we know there’s value for shoppers and retailers to incorporate checkout options. It’s about finding ways to make experiences seamless and easy for them to navigate.

We know retailers will reap rewards by applying queue management principles and practices to their self-checkout environments. We always encourage taking the time to consider this area and its unique challenges so that it can become a successful shopping format that also benefits retailers.

The retail tech space is crowded with legacy giants and new software startups. Having built Qbuster from a small family-owned operation into a firm serving over 10,000 locations, what do you believe is the biggest small business advantage you still leverage against larger, more rigid competitors?

This is my favorite question. Big companies started small. Google launched in a garage, and Dell started out in a dorm room. No matter how big your business becomes, the innovation culture and full-throttle customer service are the same.  Qbuster had humble beginnings, we started work in my attic, with two desks, an unfinished floor, no AC, and frequent uninvited wasps flying around. You can do amazing things when you are relentlessly focused on the customer. The small business advantage is flexibility. Be nimble. Innovate. Move swiftly and always stay focused on solving customer problems.

You’ve been vocal about reducing waste in shipping and standardizing “clean loops” for materials. Looking toward the next five years, how do you see the intersection of environmental sustainability and high-tech retail infrastructure shaping the way your clients design their front-end environments?

Sustainability is very important to us. We understand that we are one small link in an interconnected chain. We view ourselves as stewards of a business that impacts the planet and the environment. It’s easy to claim you care about the planet; it’s another thing to actually represent that through action in your business. We show our commitment to sustainability by reusing, recycling, and choosing sustainable materials whenever possible.

One of the most impactful actions we took in 2025 was to onshore most of our technology production. While some electronic components are still procured from Asia, we now do all the assembly, programming, packaging, and distribution from the USA. This move reduced our supply chain carbon footprint, and it’s something we’re immensely proud of.