Self-Checkout Systems See Significant Growth in German Retail
A 2025 market survey in Germany indicates a dynamic increase in self-checkout and self-service systems within retail stores. The number of locations offering these options has surged.
Self-checkout (SCO) and self-service (SB) checkouts, along with self-scanning options, have become significantly more prevalent across all retail sectors in Germany over the past two years, according to an EHI market survey.
The number of stores featuring fixed self-service checkouts has seen a 143% increase, reaching over 10,366 branches by August 2025. This marks a substantial shift, with approximately one in every 18 checkouts in German retail now being a self-service unit.
Self-scanning services, where customers scan items themselves using handheld scanners, shopping cart scanners, or mobile apps, have also experienced rapid adoption, growing by 69% since 2023. Around 2,900 stores offer a combination of self-checkout solutions for enhanced customer flexibility.
Food retailers account for about 60% of stores with self-checkouts, averaging 3.98 units per store, with a notable trend away from cash payments, accepted at only about 30% of these checkouts. Drugstores represent another significant area, with 21% of all self-checkouts located there, while DIY and home improvement stores, along with clothing retailers, also show growing adoption rates.