Hardware

Retail EPOS terminals surge worldwide, HP leads the pack

Image: Datos Insights.

October 5, 2023

There were more than 2 million programmable EPOS units delivered worldwide in 2022, marking annual growth of 3% as retailers across the world continued to invest in hardware upgrades, according to "Global EPOS and Self-Checkout 2023," a study from strategic research and consulting firm RBR Data Services, a division of Datos Insights.

By 2028, the number of EPOS terminals installed worldwide is forecast to reach nearly 16 million, according to a press release on the study.

With a 16% share of electronic point-of-sale deliveries, HP remains the largest global supplier. The majority of its terminals were shipped to North America, where it counts major general merchandise retailers and hospitality operators among its customers. The vendor is also the largest supplier to western Europe.

NCR Corp. increased its share by two percentage points to 13%. The firm is the largest supplier to the grocery segment, with many of its major customers in this sector replacing their EPOS terminals in 2022.

Toshiba is the third largest vendor in the world, with a strong presence in the Americas, western Europe and home market Japan. Its customers include some of the world's largest big box retailers.

Diebold Nixdorf Inc. and Posiflex together round out the largest five vendors globally, leading in central and eastern Europe and the Middle East and Africa, respectively.

Chinese suppliers HiStone, Wintec and Sunmi all primarily deliver to their home market. However, these firms are expanding overseas, particularly in emerging markets in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East and Africa.

The remainder of the market is increasingly fragmented, with most vendors using a network of partners to sell their terminals to a wider range of countries.

South Korea's Posbank and Taiwan's Firich both supply units internationally, in part via partners, while U.S. technology firms Oracle and Elo also have a global presence.

Regional and local suppliers compete alongside international firms in many markets, including Brazilian supplier Elgin in its home country, whilst France's Aures and Switzerland's 4POS have a strong presence across western Europe.

"Competition in the global EPOS market remains fierce as retailers continue to invest in EPOS hardware, with emerging markets offering new areas of growth," Jeni Bloomfield, who led RBR Data Services survey, said in the release.