The growth of autonomous (or self) checkout continues to transform the retail landscape. The global market for self-checkout systems is projected to reach nearly $6 billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 11.5% over the 2021-26 time period. North America is projected to represent the largest share of the market, accounting for a 41.4% share in the global market and currently sized at $1.4 billion in 2021, according to research by Global Industry Analysts released in October 2021.

Self-checkout technology is more beneficial to shoppers than traditional cashier checkout processes and provides greater customer satisfaction, in large part due to perceived control, greater transactional speed and ease of operation. According to a global study by dunnhumby, more than 60% of retail baskets contain six items or less, driving an increased preference for do-it-yourself checkout capabilities.

Consumer adoption of contactless payment forms and self-checkout solutions accelerated dramatically during COVID-19, heightening the demand for retailers to offer these services ubiquitously. As technology and software costs decrease and usability increases, retailers who lag in adoption not only fall short in the eyes of shoppers but also assume greater labor costs and queue times versus their competitors.