Major retailers and hospitality operators are upgrading to a wide variety of modern applications to provide a seamless customer experience across channels.
Investment in POS software bounces back
The global POS software market is becoming ever more competitive, with nearly 400,000 new deployments in the year to June 2022, according to Global POS Software 2022, the latest study by strategic research and consulting firm RBR.
New installations – comprising deployments in newly opened stores, new self-service and mobile touchpoints, and rollouts of an application from a different supplier – increased compared to the previous twelve months, as operators upped investment in omnichannel commerce solutions.
NCR and GK Software lead globally for new deployments
The global market for new POS software installations is highly fragmented, with largest supplier NCR accounting for a 10% share. The US firm had the largest number of new deployments among hospitality operators and works with global quick-service restaurant chains including Burger King and KFC.
The study shows that Germany-based GK Software is second, with the largest share in the grocery sector as it continues to win business in Europe and the USA. The company’s software has recently been rolled out at regional US supermarket chain Hy-Vee and at discounter Aldi’s stores in several European countries.
Toshiba’s customers include major Japanese convenience store chains which are quickly rolling out self-checkout solutions, while Oracle is the largest supplier of new POS software installations to general merchandise retailers globally. Diebold Nixdorf has a particularly strong presence among European retailers.
Independent software vendors compete with integrated suppliers
RBR’s study covered more than 2,350 software projects of 1,000 or more installations from over 120 vendors, ranging from local country suppliers to global firms. Independent software vendors (ISVs), such as Flooid, Aptos and its subsidiary LS Retail, are increasingly competing with companies which supply both hardware and software, such as Fujitsu, NEC and Shiji Group.
Some major retailers, including global giant Walmart and sports goods retailer Decathlon, have invested in proprietary POS solutions to extend the range of in-store touchpoints for customers, including self-service.
Supplier change most common among North American and European retailers
Competition is only expected to intensify in the future, with 1.9 million new POS software deployments forecast by RBR over the next five years, in addition to upgrades from legacy versions.
More than 40% of new installations will be in Asia-Pacific as emerging markets continue to grow, driven largely by new entrants and store network expansion, while supplier change will be most common in Europe and North America.
Jeni Bloomfield, who led the research, commented: “Retailers are seeking solutions which allow them greater flexibility in terms of in-store touchpoints, improve the customer experience and are scalable across their store networks”.
