AutoID & Data Capture Blog




Handheld Self-Scanning Solutions: A Global Market Analysis

by Shahroze Husain | 04/21/2016

VDC recently published a report focused on Handheld Self-Scanning Solutions. The following blog highlights some of our thoughts on this market and its potential.

scannersVDC expects the global market for handheld self-scanning solutions (including hardware, software, and services) to grow to $92M for the 2015-2020 forecast period. Handheld self-scanning/shopping solutions are dedicated handheld barcode scanners with integrated screens and mobile self-scanning applications that are used for consumer applications such as self-checkout, special offers, and price checks in-store while shopping.

Driven by competitive differentiation, reducing labor costs, and enhancing customer service, Europe will continue to be the core market for these solutions and drive global revenue growth followed by a potentially promising market in the Americas. Meanwhile, Asia-Pacific deployments will remain very limited due to low labor costs and relatively insignificant retailer interest in or consumer familiarity with self-scanning solution investments.

BannerIn Europe, demand for these solutions continues to grow as retailers look to reduce labor related expenses and observe greater market basket sizes, witnessing on average, a 10% increase in overall revenues when deploying handheld self-scanning solutions. Based on conversations with consumers, the uniqueness and ease of use of dedicated self-scanning devices make them especially attractive, as it also gives consumers the freedom to shop as they please. Consumers highlight that the solutions are “really easy to use” and “loved the idea and think it made life a lot easier [when shopping].” The growing installed base of smartphones has also introduced an explosive growth in self-scanning application adoption on consumer device as “the idea of self-service (either via an app or via a dedicated device) was very appealing.”

Stats


Datalogic and Zebra Technologies are the two major players in this space with handheld self-scanning hardware offerings. Each has established a strong foothold in the market by developing strong partner networks of specialized distributors to engage new clients and markets. The ability to offer local support, seamless integration with existing systems, and regular software updates for self-scanning devices will be vital to ensuring success in this space.

As part of the report, companies profiled include:

arrow Vendors – Datalogic, Zebra Technologies
arrow Independent Software Vendors and Solution Providers – BudgetBox, Datema Retail, Extenda, Optical Phusion, Re-Vision, Toshiba TEC, Wincor Nixdorf
arrow Retailers – 5 major European retailers

For more information and insights on this report, please feel free to download the Executive Brief and contact us to learn how to gain access to the full report.

Written by Shahroze Husain and Richa Gupta. For more information, contact us at info@vdcresearch.com. The author can be contacted directly at shusain@vdcresearch.com.