Tesco wants to use thermal imaging to predict how long its checkout queues will be, half an hour in the future.

The supermarket giant already uses the cameras at tills to automatically monitor queue lengths. But by autumn it plans to implement predictive till management systems, using cameras at the shop doorway to compare how many customers are in the store with the number already queuing for the till.

The system will then calculate the likely length of the queue in five to 30 minutes and alert staff, according to project manager Michael Lucking.

‘It will allow us to open more tills if it is busy or close them to free staff to replenish shelves and tidy up,’ he said.

‘Customers have consistently told us that waiting times can determine if they will continue to shop with us. And as we become more popular, the chance of customers waiting longer is likely to increase.’

Tesco has also started rolling out the technology to its Express convenience stores, which have longer queues of customers making smaller purchases.

The company’s imaginative approach to IT is central to its success, says Neil Saunders, consulting director at retail analyst Verdict Research.

‘Tesco thinks innovatively about how it can apply technology to improve customer service,’ said Saunders.

‘One of the difficulties for supermarkets is that things can go from comparatively quiet to very busy in the space of an hour, so anything that Tesco can do to reduce waiting times will determine if customers choose to shop there.’