Retail Automation Market, By Component, By Type, By Deployment Mode, By End User, By Country, and By Region – Global Industry Analysis, Market Size, Market Share & Forecast from 2025-2032

REPORT HIGHLIGHT

Retail Automation Market size was valued at US$ 27,026.98 Million in 2024, expanding at a CAGR of 9.76% from 2025 to 2032.

The retail automation market includes the tools and systems used to automate everyday retail operations in stores and fulfilment environments. It covers a mix of hardware, software, and services that support activities such as checkout and payments, product identification and scanning, inventory tracking, shelf price management, in-store task execution, order picking, and loss prevention. Adoption is increasing because retail operations are under pressure from rising labor costs, ongoing staffing gaps, and customer expectations for faster service and accurate product availability across in-store and online channels. Automation is no longer limited to pilot projects, and many large retailers are moving toward broader rollouts that connect store systems with supply chain and fulfilment workflows.

Retail automation is mainly justified through operational improvements that can be measured. Common goals include reducing checkout wait times through self-checkout and smarter POS setups, improving inventory accuracy to limit stockouts, speeding up replenishment and fulfilment through better task management and picking support, and lowering shrink through stronger visibility and exception monitoring. Electronic shelf labels, RFID-based tracking, computer vision analytics, and store robotics are often discussed as major contributors because they reduce repetitive manual work while improving speed and consistency. In many cases, value depends less on a single device and more on how well data flows between store systems, warehouse systems, and analytics platforms.

Retail Automation Market- Market Dynamics
Store Labor Gaps and Higher Wage Costs Are Making Automation a Practical Need

Retail automation is being pushed forward mainly because stores are finding it harder and more expensive to staff routine work like checkout coverage, shelf replenishment, and inventory counting. Government labor data shows the pressure is not temporary. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), retail trade job openings (JOLTS) stayed above the pre-2020 pattern for an extended period after the pandemic, meaning many retailers were competing for workers even when stores were fully operating again. Cost pressure is also clear in pay trends. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), average hourly earnings for retail-related roles increased compared with 2020 levels, which directly raises store operating costs for chains with large associate headcount. These two factors together make automation easier to justify as a cost-and-capacity solution rather than a technology experiment. Self-checkout and modern POS setups can reduce cashier hours at peak times, while electronic shelf labels cut the recurring labor needed for price changes and promotions. RFID and automated inventory tools reduce the time spent on manual cycle counts and help prevent lost sales caused by inaccurate stock data. From an end-user buying angle, the key point is that labor constraints are creating a strong business case where automation is used to protect service levels, keep inventory more accurate, and lower labor hours per store while wage rates are moving up.

Retail Automation Market- Segmentation Analysis:

Retail automation demand is getting a lot of momentum from two areas where the numbers make the business case easier to defend: store transactions and online order fulfillment. Store activity stays high, which keeps pressure on checkout speed and labor scheduling. According to U.S. Census Bureau retail trade data, total retail sales have remained at elevated levels compared with the pre-2020 period, so even small delays at the front end can turn into longer lines and lost sales during busy hours. Labor conditions add another layer of urgency. According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), retail trade job openings remained higher than pre-pandemic patterns across many months in 2021–2024 (JOLTS), showing that hiring has been difficult even as demand stayed steady. Cost pressure also shows up in pay trends. According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), average hourly earnings for retail-related occupations increased versus 2020 levels, which pushes retailers to look for ways to cut repetitive labor time per transaction. In this environment, investments that streamline checkout and reduce manual steps tend to look less like optional upgrades and more like cost control and service-level protection.

A second big push comes from the workload created by digital ordering and the need to fulfill faster without letting costs rise too much. According to U.S. Census Bureau, e-commerce has kept a structurally higher share of total retail sales than before 2020, which means more units require picking, packing, staging, and returns handling across stores and fulfillment sites. That shift increases the value of automation that improves inventory accuracy and reduces manual touches in backroom and warehouse operations, since order errors and out-of-stocks directly translate into substitutions, cancellations, and extra labor. Logistics scale also matters because the retail supply chain moves very large volumes. According to U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), U.S. freight activity by value remains substantial, and that scale makes productivity improvements meaningful when applied across a network. For end users, the practical buying focus in this area usually comes down to measurable outcomes like faster order cycle time, better pick accuracy, fewer stockout-driven cancellations, and smoother integration with existing store and warehouse systems so that benefits can show up quickly after rollout.

Retail Automation Market- Geographical Insights

Retail automation tends to scale fastest in regions where retail sales volumes are high, labor availability is tight, and digital ordering keeps adding operational workload. North America shows strong demand for checkout modernization, store productivity tools, and loss-prevention automation because labor and shrink directly affect operating margins. Europe follows a similar direction, with added focus on system standardization and compliance-driven data controls. Asia Pacific is also important because many markets combine dense store networks with fast adoption of digital shelf tools and mobile-based execution. The demand backdrop is supported by public statistics: according to U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. retail sales stayed at high levels after 2020, which keeps pressure on store throughput and queue management, and according to Eurostat, e-commerce activity across EU enterprises remained meaningful through the 2020–2024 period, reinforcing the need for better fulfillment execution and inventory visibility. Across these geographies, the solutions that usually move from pilot to rollout are the ones that show clear and repeatable savings, such as self-checkout, modern POS upgrades, electronic shelf labels, RFID-based inventory tracking, and warehouse automation tied to order picking.

United States Retail Automation Market- Country Insights

The United States is widely seen as one of the strongest markets for retail automation because of the combination of large retail scale, ongoing workforce friction, and a structurally higher level of e-commerce compared with the pre-2020 period. According to U.S. Census Bureau, overall retail sales have remained very large and above earlier baselines, which means even small improvements in checkout time and store execution can create meaningful benefits when applied across thousands of locations. Labor conditions continue to support automation economics. According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), retail trade job openings stayed elevated across many months in 2021–2024 in the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), which signals continued hiring difficulty for frontline roles. Pay pressure also matters for ROI. According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), average hourly earnings in retail-related categories increased compared with 2020 levels, which makes labor-saving automation easier to justify in budgets. Digital demand adds another layer: according to U.S. Census Bureau, e-commerce sales maintained a higher share of total retail sales than before 2020, which increases the value of inventory accuracy, faster picking, and better order orchestration across store and warehouse nodes.

Retail Automation Market- Competitive Landscape:

The competitive landscape in retail automation is typically shaped by a few capability groups, and vendor shortlists are usually built around where the operational bottleneck sits checkout speed, inventory accuracy, or fulfillment throughput. NCR Voyix and Diebold Nixdorf are commonly referenced for POS and self-service checkout ecosystems, where strengths often relate to large-scale rollout experience and store support. Toshiba Tec and Epson America are frequently associated with POS hardware and peripherals, where durability and lifecycle management tend to be key strengths. Zebra Technologies and Honeywell International are regularly linked to scanners, mobile computers, and RFID, with strengths in data capture and associate productivity workflows. SES-imagotag, Pricer, and Hanshow are typically cited for electronic shelf labels and digital shelf execution, with strengths centered on fast pricing updates and chain-wide consistency. Oracle, SAP, Microsoft, and IBM are often referenced for enterprise software layers that connect POS, inventory, analytics, and order management, where strengths usually relate to platform breadth and integration into existing IT stacks. Symbotic and Ocado Group are commonly associated with advanced warehouse and fulfillment automation, where strengths are tied to throughput, robotics-driven picking, and system-level optimization. End-user evaluation in this space usually comes back to integration readiness, uptime, support capability, and measurable operational outcomes like reduced labor hours, fewer out-of-stocks, and lower cost per order.

Recent Developments:

In January 2026, Mastercard, a global payments technology company, launched Mastercard Agent Suite, a new service to help enterprises adopt agentic AI through advisory support and configurable AI agents that can be built, tested, and deployed for specific business workflows; the offering uses Mastercard’s payments infrastructure, data platforms, and a global advisory network of around 4,000 advisors, and is expected to be available in Q2 2026 with early use cases focused on banks and merchants for areas such as product recommendations, inventory, pricing, promotions, and conversational shopping, while operating under Mastercard’s privacy, responsible AI, and security standards.
In January 2026, Microsoft Corp., a global technology company, announced new agentic AI solutions for retail designed to automate and connect workflows across merchandising, marketing, store operations, and fulfillment, aiming to improve execution speed, shopper relevance, and operational resilience; the announcement also highlighted Copilot Checkout, now available in the U.S. on Copilot.com, which enables purchases directly within Copilot without redirecting users, supported by partners such as PayPal, Shopify, and Stripe, with participating brands including Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Ashley Furniture, and Etsy sellers, and Adobe data cited in the release indicating AI-driven e-commerce traffic during the 2025 holiday season rose sharply versus 2024.
In December 2025, The Revenue Optimization Companies (T-ROC Global), a retail services and technology provider, launched Automated Retail Solutions, a turnkey platform combining vending, self-service kiosks, and intelligent automation for 24/7 product and service delivery; the company said it is supported by a U.S. replenishment network of over 2,000 field staff and 34 warehouses, positioning the offering for large-scale deployment with end-to-end operational support.
In October 2025, Macy’s, Inc., a U.S. department store retailer, opened a new customer fulfillment and store replenishment center in China Grove, North Carolina, described as its largest and most technologically advanced facility, featuring state-of-the-art automation and an advanced warehouse management system; the 2.5 million square foot site is intended to expand reach in the Southeast, ship more orders from a single location in fewer boxes, and improve fulfillment and replenishment speed, with the company noting earlier automation deployments more than doubled productivity and announcing a $250,000 community commitment including an automation training lab at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College.

SCOPE OF THE REPORT

The scope of this report covers the market by its major segments, which include as follows:

GLOBAL RETAIL AUTOMATION MARKET KEY PLAYERS- DETAILED COMPETITIVE INSIGHTS

Avery Dennison Corporation
Datalogic S.p.A.
Diebold Nixdorf, Incorporated
Epson America, Inc.
FPT Software Company Limited
Fujitsu Limited
Hanshow Technology Co., Ltd.
Honeywell International Inc.
IBM Corporation
Microsoft Corporation
NCR Voyix Corporation
Ocado Group plc
Oracle Corporation
Panasonic Holdings Corporation
Pricer AB
SAP SE
SES-imagotag S.A.
Symbotic Inc.
Toshiba Tec Corporation
Zebra Technologies Corporation
Others

GLOBAL RETAIL AUTOMATION MARKET, BY COMPONENT- MARKET ANALYSIS, 2019 - 2032

Hardware
Software
Services

GLOBAL RETAIL AUTOMATION MARKET, BY TYPE- MARKET ANALYSIS, 2019 - 2032

Point-of-Sale (POS) Automation
Self-Checkout Systems
Automated Storage & Retrieval Systems (AS/RS)
Inventory & Shelf Management Automation
Robotics & Automated Picking

GLOBAL RETAIL AUTOMATION MARKET, BY DEPLOYMENT MODE- MARKET ANALYSIS, 2019 - 2032

On-Premises
Cloud

GLOBAL RETAIL AUTOMATION MARKET, BY END USER- MARKET ANALYSIS, 2019 - 2032

Supermarkets/Hypermarkets
Convenience Stores
Department Stores
E-commerce/Warehouses (Retail Fulfillment)

GLOBAL RETAIL AUTOMATION MARKET, BY REGION- MARKET ANALYSIS, 2019 - 2032

North America
U.S.
Canada
Europe
Germany
UK
France
Italy
Spain
The Netherlands
Sweden
Russia
Poland
Rest of Europe
Asia Pacific
China
India
Japan
South Korea
Australia
Indonesia
Thailand
Philippines
Rest of APAC
Latin America
Brazil
Mexico
Argentina
Colombia
Rest of LATAM
The Middle East and Africa
Saudi Arabia
UAE
Israel
Turkey
Algeria
Egypt
Rest of MEA Show more