Self-Checkouts, Mobile Payment and Green IT: investments at the till EHI survey: Checkout Systems 2010

Cologne/Düsseldorf, 02-03-2010 –The checkout is a touchy point in retail stores, because at the checkout demands are made, not only on the customers’ money, but also on their patience. This only emphasises the importance of POS systems for the retail industry. On the one hand, such systems have to meet ever higher requirements and, on the other, they have to be faster than their predecessors, if possible.

This also explains why the participants in the EHI survey “Checkout Systems 2010” regard speed as an optimisation lever at the checkout. The majority of the retailers surveyed consider the payment process to offer the largest potential for improvement of the customers’ situation at the checkout.

Green IT and Self-Checkout

An ever increasing number of additional functions are carried out at the checkout. Currently these concern mainly couponing and e-loading, but in future they will also include contactless payments, which are set to be further developed in the future. Whereas today almost 40 percent of those questioned are already using the couponing function in their system, two thirds of them wish to introduce it in the medium-term.

Green IT does not yet play a major role at the cash register. Although more than 70 percent of the participants is of the opinion that environmental friendliness is an important factor in the selection of hardware, it is very seldom a factor that has a relevant an influence on the decision.

As before, a quarter of the businesses surveyed reckon that integrated RFID readers will be used to register goods at the checkout in the years ahead. The proliferation of the various self-checkout systems is advancing slowly but steadily. Today almost 13 percent of the respondents are using such systems. More than a third of the companies surveyed predict their future introduction into their business. Technically these systems are now mature. However, particularly as far as Germany is concerned, the acceptance by the customers is still a matter of concern.

Age structure of the checkouts

The actual number of checkout systems in Germany has been stagnating for years. Overall, some 1 million checkout systems are in use in the retail industry in the large sense. Due to the consolidation of the market, the number of POS systems is spread over an ever decreasing number of outlets. Over a decade ago there were still almost 640,000 shops, nowadays there are only 584,000 left.

In recent years many systems have been renewed. While in 2008 the average age of the POS hardware was 6.4 years, in 2010 it amounts to only 4.5 years. As far as the operating systems are concerned, the advance of Linux seems to falter. Although, with almost 60 percent of the installations, the share of Linux systems is still high, particularly in businesses with large checkout lines, the Microsoft solutions, with 30 percent, are again gaining importance. DOS too is still present on the market with more than ten percent.

61 retailers took part in the survey. The participants in the panel operate altogether 117,000 checkout systems in 49,500 branches worldwide. On the whole they represented a turnover of some 135bn euros in 2008. In Germany alone, these companies have earned around 66bn euros last year in about 21,000 stores.

The EHI-survey can be ordered from EHI-Publisher at the price of 250 euros:
http://www.ehi.org/geschaeftsbereiche/verlag/ehi-studien.html

Journalists may request a review copy of the complete work at:
holtmann@ehi.org

About EHI

EHI is a research, training and consultancy institute for the retail industry and its partners. The international EHI-Retail-Network covers around 500 Member-Companies. EHI was founded in 1951. Managing Directors are Michael Gerling and Prof. Prof. E.h. (RUS) Dr. Bernd Hallier. EHI is a 50%-shareholder in GS1 Germany (former known as CCG). They coordinate the European EAN in Germany. In cooperation with EHI the Messe Düsseldorf organises EuroShop, the world's largest trade fair for capital goods for the retail industry, and EuroCIS, showing the latest products, solutions and trends in IT and security.

Publisher:
EHI Retail Institute e. V., Spichernstraße 55, 50672 Cologne, Germany, www.ehi.org
Phone.: +49 (0)2 21/5 79 93-0, Fax: -45

Contact:
Cetin Acar, Manager Research Unit IT, phone: -12, mailto:acar@ehi.org
Ute Holtmann, Director Public Relations, phone: -42, mailto:holtmann@ehi.org