Smart Retail Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Solution (Hardware, Software), By Application (Visual Marketing, Intelligent System, Smart Label), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2021 - 2028

Report Overview

The global smart retail market size was valued at USD 19,497.0 million in 2020 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 27.7% from 2021 to 2028. The growing incorporation of technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Internet of Thing (IoT) to enhance consumers’ shopping experience, facilitate accurate inventory management, and improve store operations are one of the significant trends escalating market growth. AR is particularly transforming the retail industry by allowing brands to interact with consumers through their mobile devices. The adoption of AR in marketing helps in building consumer relationships, enhancing the customer experience, and subsequently driving sales. For instance, Airwalk, a shoe brand, uses AR and geolocation to create a virtual pop-up shop, thereby promoting the relaunch of Airwalk Jim. A significant increase in the number of retail stores across various geographies is also driving the demand for advanced technologies.

Smart retail is a cost-effective and profit-making process for consumers and retailers due to improved supply chain management. However, the impact of COVID-19 has been adverse on the supply chain of smart retail, hampering the movement of goods due to logistics and travel restrictions. Deliveries have been deferred for retailers as well as consumers. This effect on the supply chain stays temporary as things are gradually getting back to normal with safety measures. In the long term, a smart retail supply chain will play a vital role. The smart retailing industry, which had registered a healthy CAGR even before the pandemic, has grown steeply since the COVID-19 outburst. As the pandemic situation is uncertain and cannot be anticipated for the coming months, safety measures levied by regulatory bodies are varying rapidly. Contactless operations and social distancing are enabling consumers to access substitute retailing solutions; this is where smart retail plays a vital role in daily life

Many retailers, especially SMEs, lack the commercial resources to finance advanced business platforms. There is a rising settlement in the industry that stores must continue to digitize with IoT devices and focus on offering better shopping experiences to stay competitive and attract customers back in stores. Apart from the pandemic situation, smart retail advancements are also assisting the industry in gaining higher demand, for instance, buying finished goods through the voice process. This AI-based smart retail will ease the buying process and increase the adoption rate. Companies are now rising with situations and changing operations by adopting digital technology and smart retailing services. Market players from small to mega-vendors are realizing the importance of smart retailing and implementing digital solutions for a better customer experience. Apart from big smart retailing players such as Alibaba and Amazon, smaller providers also plan to tap into this opportunity. For instance, mobile manufacturer Vivo launched Vivo Smart Retail to help retailers see the demand for smartphones using its smart retail network in India. Moreover, Amazon and IKEA are using AR-Kit for visualizing their furniture at the user’s desired location.

In recent years, digital payment modes, such as debit cards, credit cards, prepaid cards, electronic wallets, and other digital platforms, are expected to witness significant traction over the forecast period. The shifting consumer preference to cashless transactions and the subsequent increase in the adoption of digital payment solutions across retail stores, including specialty stores, supermarkets, and departmental stores, are particularly expected to drive the growth of the smart retail market over the forecast period.

Digitalization can benefit retailers in the form of new customers, and reduced operational costs, among other benefits. Digitalization can also be highly motivating for the retailers’ employees. Subsequently, digitalization can help in augmenting revenues. Non-store retailing witnessed significant growth in 2020. Advances in technology, the advent of innovative sensors, improved connectivity, and availability of seamless communication solutions are expected to help online retail stores in contributing significantly to the growth of the market over the forecast period.

Solution Insights

The hardware segment dominated the market in 2020 and accounted for more than 65% of the global revenue. Based on solution, the market is segmented into the hardware and software. Growing deployment of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) device, point of sale (POS) systems, Bluetooth beacon, and Radio-frequency identification (RFID) systems to offer a seamless in-store shopping experience to customers is augmenting the growth of the segment.

The software segment is projected to expand at the highest CAGR of 29.9% over the forecast period. Increasing adoption of analytics software by retailers across the world, to understand specific end-users needs and behavior to improve customer engagement and the shopping experience is one of the crucial factors stimulating the growth of the segment. The need to analyze the changing consumer preferences and put a strong emphasis on customer-centric marketing is also growing in line with the rising retail investment. This is anticipated to create immense opportunities for analytics in smart retailing.

Application Insights

The visual marketing segment dominated the market in 2020 and accounted for more than 25% of the global revenue. Based on application, the is segmented into visual marketing, smart label, smart payment system, intelligent system, and others (Robotics, analytics). Retailers are also considering visual marketing through appealing storefronts, digital signage, interior displays, and state-of-the-art lighting as one of the essential requirements for a smart retail solution to engage customers. Moreover, social media marketing has particularly helped in attracting the millennial population. It has enabled retailers to focus on providing a smooth shopping experience with minimal interference to social media. Hence, in 2020 visual marketing accounted for the majority share of the market. Furthermore, the growth of the e-commerce industry has also opened several opportunities for brick-and-mortar stores. Such stores are utilizing visual marketing for their products and offerings in the form of product snapshots and videos to engage customers and gain traction on e-commerce websites.

The smart payment system segment is projected to witness considerable growth over the forecast period. The growth can be attributed to the initiatives being pursued to promote digital payments and the growing need to enhance the customer experience. Besides, a significant increase in cashless transactions is driving the need for POS solutions, e-payment systems, mobile payment apps, and other payment systems. The notable growth in the usage of mobile wallets is also expected to drive the growth of the segment over the forecast period.

Regional Insights

North America reis anticipated to be the largest regional market. It accounted for more than 35% of the overall revenue share in 2020. This region is anticipated to be the leading revenue contributor in the market throughout the forecast period. Moreover, Asia Pacific is anticipated to emerge as the fastest-growing region in the market from 2021 to 2028. Growing deployment of smart retail solutions such as big data analytics, intelligent dressing mirrors, reception robots, and shopping guide robots in countries such as Japan and China is expected to drive the regional market growth. Apart from big smart retailing players such as Alibaba and Amazon, smaller providers also plan to tap into this opportunity. For instance, mobile manufacturer Vivo launched Vivo Smart Retail to help retailers see the demand for smartphones using its smart retail network in India. Moreover, Amazon and IKEA are using AR-Kit for visualizing their furniture at the desired location of the users.

Furthermore, an increase in the number of acquisitions by leading retail brands, such as Kesko/Suomen Lähikauppa, REWE Combine/ Supermärkte Nord/Kaiser's Tengelmann stores, Auchan/OMV Petrom, and LVMH/ Christian Dior, is expected to propel the retail revenue growth across Europe. The Middle East and Africa region is expected to emerge as attractive destinations for the retail industry owing to the growing demand for luxury goods and premium items and the rapidly-changing customer preferences for more convenient and less time-intensive retail experiences.

Key Companies & Market Share Insights

The market is highly dynamic and characterized by the presence of a significant number of market players. Some of the key players are Amazon.com, Inc.; NCR Corporation; PAX Global Technology Limited; Ingenico; Fiserv, Inc.; Google LLC; Honeywell International Inc.; Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.; LG Display Co., Ltd.; Intel Corporation; Samsung Electronics; Verifone Systems; and IBM Corporation. Presently, the market players are pursuing both organic and inorganic growth strategies to increase their market share. For instance, NCR Corporation announced Horizon, a data-driven self-checkout consultancy and web-based analytics system for the retail sector. This consultancy analyzes data generated at self-checkout to provide actionable insights to retailers to improve store operation and checkout experience for customers. Similarly, Walmart Investments Cooperative U.A. invested USD 37.7 million in Wal-Mart India Pvt. Ltd to expand its presence in the Indian market. Some of the prominent players operating in the global smart retail market are:

• Amazon.com, Inc.

• NCR Corporation

• PAX Global Technology Limited

• Ingenico, Fiserv, Inc.

• Google LLC

• Honeywell International Inc.

• Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.

• LG Display Co., Ltd.

• Intel Corporation

• Samsung Electronics

• Verifone Systems

• IBM Corporation

Smart Retail Market Report Scope

Segments Covered in the Report

This report forecasts revenue growth at global, regional, and country levels and provides an analysis of the latest industry trends in each of the sub-segments from 2018 to 2028. For this study, Grand View Research has segmented the global smart retail market report based on solution, application, and region:

• Solution Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2028)

  • Hardware

  • Software

• Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2028)

  • Visual Marketing

  • Smart Label

  • Smart Payment System

  • Intelligent System

  • Others (Robotics, analytics)

• Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2028)

  • North America

    • U.S.

    • Canada

  • Europe

    • U.K.

    • Germany

  • Asia Pacific

    • China

    • India

    • Japan

  • Latin America

    • Brazil

    • Mexico

  • Middle East and Africa