Retailers invest heavily in self-checkout tech amid Covid-19 outbreak

2020 saw a record year of investment in self-checkout technology, with shipments increasing by 25% globally, according to research from RBR.

The Covid-19 pandemic further accelerated retailers’ spend in this area, helping reduce close interaction between customers and store associates.

Across Europe, there was a surge in activity with retailers rolling out units across their store networks. Grocery chains including Carrefour, Lidl and Kaufland went big on the technology, installing machines across the continent.

Likewise, domestic supermarket banners including Russia’s Pyaterochka and Poland’s Biedronka ramped up their roll-outs.

Mainstream grocers in North America, meanwhile, continue to expand their offerings, but the technology is also increasingly offered by other types of retailers, including discounters, convenience stores and pharmacy chains. Major firms deploying terminals include variety store chain Dollarama in Canada and CVS drugstores in the USA.

Increasingly, retailers are installing cashless self-checkout terminals, which represented 55% of global shipments last year.

Asia-Pacific has the highest penetration of non-cash units, and saw activity jump by a third, boosted by China’s leading retail groups such as Suning and CR Vanguard rolling out self-checkout terminals to more locations.

In well established markets, such as Australia, retailers are replacing previous generation cash units with compact card-only machines, while in cash heavy Japan major convenience store chains continue to adopt full self-checkout solutions.

Momentum also picked up in several major retail markets where adoption had been weaker, and 2020 saw the first ever pilot of the technology in the Philippines.

RBR’s Alan Burt comments: “With new projects starting in Brazil, Mexico and South Korea, as well as in smaller countries, we expect self-checkout penetration to continue to grow, with installations forecast to surpass 1.5 million by 2026.”