2023 North American Retail Store Printer Study

This report provides an overview of the printer market share in North American retail and hospitality.

The report look at five categories of printers relative to those utilized in the retail and hospitality store environment:

• POS Register Receipts - this is inclusive of many different types including thermal, impact, slip-only, dual station, multi-station and inkjet, though the vast majority in use in this application are thermal.
• Mobile/Tablet POS Receipt - These would be printers that work in conjunction with mobile POS either in the form of a handheld or tablet, but not directly integrated into the device like you can see in some handheld payment devices.
• SCO/Kiosk Receipts - These are typically thermal receipts used either in self-checkout systems or kiosks, but not mechanisms, but complete units.
• In-House Food Preparation - An in-house food preparation printer is a printer that prints labels for food items that are prepared in-house. These labels can include information such as the name of the dish, the date it was prepared, and any other relevant information. They are used to help keep track of inventory and ensure that food is being prepared safely and efficiently. Some printers can also print custom labels with logos or other branding information.
• Label Receipts - This would be a device that prints labels to facilitate different processes in the food industry, retail stores, and other businesses. It generates adhesive labels with specific information, which can be attached to bags, cups, or other items for identification, tracking, or organization purposes.

This report provides an overview of printer market share of the North American retail and hospitality store market. It highlights the key players in the market, including manufacturers such as Bixolon, Brother, Citizen, Custom S.P.A., Diebold Nixdorf, Epson, NCR, Seiko, Sewoo, SNBC, Star, Sunmi, Toshiba, Urovo, Woosim, and Zebra Technologies. The report also provides an overview of the different types of printers used in the retail and hospitality sectors, including POS receipt printers, label printers, mobile/tablet printers, in-house food preparation and mobile/tablet printers.

The report highlights that the North American retail and hospitality store printer market share experienced positive shipment growth in 2022 for the second consecutive year after a significant decline in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The areas that saw significant gains were POS Register Receipts, which benefited from delayed purchases in 2020 and 2021, as well as Mobile/Tablet Receipts and Label Receipts. These categories support new customer journeys and accelerated adoption of them resulting from the ongoing digital transformation in the retail and hospitality sectors.

One interesting finding is that retailers are increasingly adopting new technologies to enhance their customer experience. This includes mobile/tablet receipts, which allow customers to receive their receipts via email or text message instead of a paper receipt. This not only reduces paper waste but also provides customers with a more convenient way to keep track of their purchases.

Another interesting finding is that label printers are becoming increasingly popular among retailers. Label printers are used for printing price tags, barcodes, and other product information. With more retailers adopting omnichannel strategies, label printers have become an essential tool for managing inventory across multiple channels.

The report also provides insights into the different types of used in the retail and hospitality sectors with printer market share. POS receipt printers are the most commonly used type of printer in these sectors, accounting for 70% of all shipments in 2022.

The report looks at shipments and installed base printer market share by the five printer types. We begin with the 2018 year and project out to 2026.

The analysis includes coverage across 13 market segments:

• Food/Supermarkets
• Drug Stores
• Superstores/Warehouse Clubs
• Department Stores
• Specialty Hard Goods
• Specialty Soft Goods
• Mass Merchandisers (includes Discount Stores)
• Convenience Stores/Gas Stations
• Table Service Restaurants (including hotel bar/restaurant)
• Quick Service Restaurants/Fast Food Lodging
• Casino/Cruise Entertainment: Theaters, Theme Parks, Stadiums, Museums, Parks