The market for point of sale systems in retail is continuing to grow, but customers’ needs are shifting as they try to maintain margins, as well as harnessing the increasing data being created, which presents opportunities for resellers.
For retailers in a hugely competitive market – competing not just against other physical shops but online retailers – the shopping experience can make a difference in gaining sales or not, and point of sale (PoS) systems have an important role to play.
Nick Harrison, sales director at Star Micronics EMEA, says that PoS systems are increasingly popular. “Moving from a traditional setup is taking on greater importance,” he adds. “Depending on the store and items sold, mobile PoS can allow retailers to provide enhanced customer service,” he says.
“For instance, in a large retail store where an item is typically sold on a 1-2-1 basis, having mobile PoS and being able to serve the customer anywhere in the store can provide a more tailored approach. With technology built for retail, options are there to cover all bases. The three key areas in PoS now are fixed PoS/mobile/kiosk and most areas suit at least two.”
Peter Holland, regional sales manager, Northern Europe at Jarltech, adds that mobile PoS systems enjoy continued growth. “Mobile PoS systems saw strong growth over the last decade, particularly during and immediately after the pandemic, when retailers needed flexibility, queue busting and contactless payments,” he says.
But he also notes that the market is shifting. “Today, many retailers are reassessing the true operational value of mobile PoS against rising labour costs and shrinking margins,” he adds. “In practice, mobile devices still require staff to operate them, which limits the long-term cost savings retailers can achieve.
“The bigger transformation in retail is now happening around self-service technology — particularly kiosks and self-checkout systems. These solutions allow retailers to reduce dependency on staffing, improve throughput and maintain service levels despite recruitment challenges and wage inflation.
“So while mobile PoS still has a place in assisted selling and hospitality-style environments, investment momentum is increasingly moving toward automation-led retail experiences rather than staff-operated mobile checkout systems.”
Retail priorities
This shift is reflected in the criteria retail customers have when choosing a PoS system. “Retailers today are prioritising efficiency, automation and cost control above almost everything else,” says Peter.
“Historically, retailers focused heavily on mobility, customer engagement and flexible checkout experiences. Now, the conversation is much more commercially driven. Retailers want systems that can: reduce staffing pressure, shorten queues, increase transaction speed, minimise training requirements and improve operational resilience.
“That is why self-checkout, kiosk ordering and hybrid unattended retail models are seeing significant growth.”
Peter adds that retailers are also demanding:
- Easy deployment and management
- Cloud-based control
- Reliable integration
- Strong analytics
- Long lifecycle hardware to protect investment.
“Ultimately, the priority has shifted from simply enabling transactions to optimising store operations and reducing the cost-to-serve each customer,” Peter adds.
Nick says customers are also seeking modular, flexible PoS systems that can expand at busy periods or be repurposed seasonally with additional pop-up checkouts etc is key. “Hardware that is multi-use and multi-connectivity with the same products set up at checkout, mobile or in a self-service kiosk simplifies inventory and rollout for integrators/resellers and enhances store flexibility,” he adds.
“Priorities must focus on the system being quick, easy and smooth but also fit for purpose with a contemporary feel. A clear and uncluttered counter is also important with undercounter and mounting solutions facilitating this. Having the right PoS for the right opportunities is essential given some customers prefer to use self-service kiosks whereas others prefer a more personal service. Good stock control with live feeds for a range of different selling channels is vital.”
Integration
Retail customers are also demanding that PoS systems integrate with other systems they may operate. “Integration is now critical,” says Peter. “A PoS system can no longer operate as a standalone platform.
“Retailers expect seamless integration with inventory management, ERP systems, eCommerce platforms, loyalty programmes, payment providers, workforce management and customer analytics tools. The reason is simple: retailers want a unified operational view across all channels while reducing manual processes and administrative overhead.
“This becomes even more important in self-service environments. Kiosks and self-checkout systems rely heavily on real-time stock visibility, pricing accuracy and centralised management to operate effectively at scale.
“Without integration, retailers lose efficiency – and efficiency is now one of the biggest drivers behind retail technology investment.”
Nick says many retailers are turning to cloud native applications that are modular. “These enable them to bring together their physical and digital systems as well as adapt and scale depending on their business,” he says. “Cloud connected hardware that can integrate with existing PoS systems but also has the flexibility to handle cloud applications as retailers adapt is therefore becoming essential.
“PoS integrations, options and partner integrations are particularly important in an omnichannel world. Utilising key large partners in areas that link to PoS provides significant benefits in terms of sales and customer service.”
Influence of data
One of the most valuable outputs of modern PoS systems is data, and resellers must factor this into their thinking too. “Retailers are no longer just processing transactions – they are using transaction data to optimise operations, merchandising and profitability,” says Peter. “Insights around peak trading times, basket composition, customer flow, product affinity and self-service adoption rates are all helping retailers make faster and smarter decisions.
“However, increasingly the focus is not only on customer buying habits, but also on operational efficiency metrics. Retailers want to understand how many transactions can be automated, where staffing can be reduced, which stores benefit most from self-service, and how technology impacts labour costs.
“In many cases, the operational data generated by kiosks and self-checkout systems is becoming just as valuable as traditional sales analytics.”
Nick agrees that data is becoming increasingly important. “Tracking customer purchasing habits across different channels can help to increase loyalty,” he says. “AI is vastly enhancing and making data analytics more efficient for retailers, which in turn allows them to take better advantage of the data available. For this, it is increasingly important the e-commerce software, CRM, PoS software, inventory and logistics software etc. are integrated to give complete customer data.
“Data is key, not only for stock control but also identifying major selling items and levels, which in turn can drive loyalty campaigns. Being aware what the customer is buying (or returning) and then offering discounts around associated items and other areas is central to achieving this. Without a doubt, monitoring and understanding data certainly enables retail businesses to provide enhanced customer service.”
Reseller conversations
In conversations with retail businesses about PoS systems, there are certain aspects resellers should focus on. Nick says resellers need to work closely with individual retail businesses to design PoS systems that are fit for purpose now and in the future, with features that promote and enhance customer service.
“As a result, any issues businesses have with a current PoS system and any additional features required such as the ability to offer click and collect, returns labels, purchasing online or in store for next day delivery, need to be addressed,” he adds. “Having the right PoS and the right features is key to successfully operate in an omnichannel world.”
Peter says that resellers need to move away from purely hardware-led conversations and focus on operational outcomes. “Retailers are under enormous pressure from rising staffing costs, inflation and margin compression,” he says. “Simply selling a mobile PoS device is no longer enough.
“The most effective conversations are centred around labour optimisation, automation, customer throughput, reducing queue times and improving store efficiency.
“Resellers should position themselves as advisers on retail transformation rather than just suppliers of checkout technology.
“In many cases, that means discussing whether mobile PoS is actually the right solution at all — or whether kiosks, self-checkout or hybrid unattended models would deliver a stronger return on investment. Retailers increasingly want measurable business outcomes, not just new devices.”
Future
These factors will inform buying decisions in the future, which resellers need to be alive to. “The industry is clearly moving toward greater automation and reduced reliance on staff-assisted transactions,” says Peter.
“Mobile PoS will remain relevant in specialist retail, assisted selling and hospitality environments, but the wider market direction is increasingly centred on self-checkout, kiosks, AI-assisted retail, computer vision and frictionless payment experiences.
“The key driver behind this shift is economics. Rising labour costs and ongoing staffing shortages are forcing retailers to redesign store operations around efficiency and scalability.
“As a result, the future of PoS is less about mobility and more about autonomous retail experiences that allow stores to operate with fewer staff while still delivering convenience and speed for consumers.”
