Ask any supermarket or grocery retailer and they’ll tell you –their business is different. Grocery and supermarket retailing has its own unique set of challenges, quite unlike those found in, say, fashion, electronics, DIY or pharmacy.

In this article, we’ll take a look at those challenges1, and why a purpose-built POS for supermarkets and grocery solution like iVend is the most effective way to address these challenges and build growth and profitability.

iVend’s Retail for Supermarkets POS Solution is designed for supermarkets and grocery. Read how it helps supermarket and convenience stores to thrive.

Supermarkets and grocery retail has some specific characteristics – low margins mean they rely on high volumes and repeat customers. Selling fresh food brings the challenge of managing inventory for perishable goods1 and also the complexities of handling weighed items.

A food shop is seen by many shoppers as a chore, which they want to get done fast – making efficient, frictionless checkout a must. With a high turnover of goods, rapid shelf-replenishment and real-time stock visibility is non-negotiable.

Supermarkets and grocery shoppers have plenty of options available to them, making customer loyalty a top priority for US retailers in this space.

Supermarket shoppers want to engage in a wide range of ways – driving growth in click and collect, curbside and online purchases for delivery to home. U.S. online supermarket and grocery sales grew 15.2% between April 2024 and April 2025, from $8.5 billion to $9.8 billion. Retailers must provide for this demand if they’re to attract and retain customers.

All of which means that supermarket and grocery retail needs a specialist POS solution that caters to its unique needs.

iVend Retail for Supermarkets is an enterprise-class POS system for supermarkets and grocery, and is system specifically designed for the challenges faced by today’s supermarkets. There are seven ways that iVend Retail for Supermarkets is transforming operations for supermarket and grocery retailers around the world:

the iVend Retail for Supermarkets POS solution makes checkout smooth, seamless and fast for supermarket shoppers – with self-checkout, contactless payments, and integrations with weight scales, scanners and display screens. Faster checkout means happier, more loyal customers.

the iVend Retail for Supermarkets POS solution enables retailers to manage inventory as a single stock pool, with real-time updates and automated replenishment. Smart inventory management and supply chain efficiency4 helps supermarket and grocery retailers to avoid stock outs – which mean empty shelves and disgruntled customers – and understocking, which ends in lost sales opportunity.

iVend’s POS for supermarket and grocery system enables supermarkets to track perishable inventory, and print accurate shelf and item labels, helping to reduce food waste, carbon emissions and margin loss.

Supermarket shoppers expect a constant flow of engaging promotions. iVend’s Retail for Supermarkets POS solution helps retailers to meet this demand: detailed analytics provide insights into customer buying habits and trends; the inbuilt promotions engine rapidly creates chain-wide or store-specific offers, and integration with customer displays rapidly publishes offers to shoppers in the store.

In the low margin world of supermarkets, repeat customers are the key to profitability, and supermarkets therefore rely heavily on loyalty programs. iVend’s Retail for Supermarkets POS solution gives supermarket and grocery retailers everything they need to develop and manage the tailored, personalized loyalty programs that keep customers coming back.

In order to offer the full range of shopping options, retailers need seamless stock and order flow between the physical store and online presence. iVend’s Retail for Supermarket POS solution provides the integration that allow supermarkets to offer click and collect, curbside pickup, and home delivery options.

You can only improve what you can measure’ – and iVend Retail for Supermarkets is a POS solution that gives retailers the analytics tools to measure performance, with dashboards that rapidly share this intelligence across the business. It integrates seamlessly with all major ERP systems, drawing on data from across the business to support informed decision making.

iVend’s Retail for Supermarkets POS solution that is transforming operations for customers around the globe.

One of these is COCO Store in Myanmar, whose plans to grow their base of 25 convenience and grocery stores were being hampered by disjointed processes, a lack of integration and low visibility of performance. Selecting iVend’s specialized POS for supermarkets and grocery has enabled them to transform every area of the business, giving them:

• 50% faster checkout
• 50% increase in inventory turns
• 95% data accuracy

which has enabled a massive 30% increase in annual sales.

Pioneer Foodstore in the UK was struggling with a lack of integration between channels, slow in-store processes, and the inability to run effective promotions. Since switching to the iVend retail POS solution, they’ve been able to

• Offer new shopping options including curbside pickup
• Streamline stocktaking with iVend handheld
• Implement self-checkout to speed up the shopping process
• Create and launch engaging promotions to increase sales
• Give store managers dashboards with ‘at-a-glance’ decision-making information

As we’ve explored, operating supermarket and grocery retail stores is unlike any other form of retail – it brings its own specific challenges, which can only be met with a dedicated, tailored supermarket and grocery POS system.

If you’d like to understand more about how iVend’s POS solution for Supermarket Retail could help you take your supermarket or grocery operation to the next level, get in touch to arrange your demonstration today, and see how you could transform your business with iVend Retail for Supermarkets.