Expert knowledge for grocery retailers: POS solutions and trends

There’s no time for downtime in grocery retail. Transaction volumes are high, margins are tight, and campaign pressure is constant. Stores are open early and close late, if at all. Everything needs to run. Always.

Customers expect quick checkout, correct pricing and access to loyalty benefits no matter how or where they shop. For retailers, success depends on performance, flexibility and the ability to adapt without slowing down operations.

High volume and constant throughput

Grocery stores handle a large number of transactions every day. Systems must run at full capacity during peak hours, campaign launches and shift changes. Stability is essential.

Multiple checkout formats

Staffed lanes, self-checkout (SCO), fast lanes and mobile POS are often combined. The POS must support all formats in one system and keep transactions flowing for customers and staff alike.

Dynamic campaigns and discount logic

Promotions change frequently. So do prices and customer-specific discounts. Everything must be calculated correctly and applied instantly at checkout, no matter the format.

Fraud prevention in self-service formats

Grocery chains face increasing pressure to reduce shrink, especially around self-checkout and Scan&Go. Checkout systems need built-in control mechanisms that help detect and prevent fraud without affecting flow.

Loyalty, segmentation and personalisation

With tight margins, building customer loyalty is crucial. Systems should support loyalty clubs, app-based rewards and targeted campaigns that feel relevant and work across channels.

Staff onboarding and shift changes

New and part-time staff need to be productive quickly. POS screens must be intuitive, reduce errors and help staff focus on tasks that matter in high-volume stores.

Uptime and operational resilience

When systems go down, sales are lost. Grocery retailers need solutions that keep working even in case of outages or cyberattacks, including full offline capability.

Retail media and digital receipts

Stores increasingly use customer-facing screens, electronic shelf labels (ESLs) and personalised offers. Receipts need to be available digitally and used to measure campaign performance across touchpoints.

To run efficient grocery operations, your systems need to support store reality. That means adapting to campaign changes, checkout formats and staff needs without extra complexity behind the scenes.

fast and stable checkout, even under heavy load
real-time pricing and campaign execution
self-checkout (SCO), Scan&Go, mobile POS and fast lane support
loyalty integration with coupons, apps and customer data
fast onboarding with clear, role-based POS interfaces
fraud detection that works in live checkout environments
reliable fallback modes and data recovery
cloud-ready deployment and reuse of hardware
integrations that sync price, stock and reporting
access to data and APIs for business control and compliance

52ViKING handles high volumes in staffed lanes, self-checkout (SCO), mobile POS and express setups. Transactions stay fast. Staff can focus on customers instead of troubleshooting. All store formats are supported within the same solution.

Fiftytwo’s price engine calculates discounts, promotions and personalised prices in real time. Prices remain accurate and consistent across formats, channels and store locations. No manual updates are needed.

MPOS gives staff the ability to handle sales, answer questions and support customers on the floor. It is ideal in large-format grocery stores or early in the day when orders are picked before opening hours.

With POS Designer, stores can customise checkout screens to fit specific departments or tasks. Examples include bakery counters, café setups and fresh produce sections. All interfaces connect to the same backend, so updates remain centralised and efficient.

52ViKING supports loyalty cards, app-linked profiles and digital coupons. Offers are applied automatically during checkout and linked to campaign data and digital receipts. This improves redemption rates and customer satisfaction.

Self-service options use the same pricing and campaign logic as traditional tills. Customers get a consistent experience. Staff can monitor and assist when needed. Built-in rules support fraud prevention in high-volume, high-risk scenarios.

52ViKING works with 52UNATTENDED, enabling fully or partially unattended stores. These formats allow for extended hours and lean operations while maintaining security, control and a positive customer experience.

Staff can accept payments using phones or tablets. This reduces the need for fixed terminals and is ideal for queue-busting, mobile stores or limited-space areas.

The POS supports fraud prevention through built-in logic and monitoring. Combined with store-level analytics, it helps spot suspicious behaviour and ensures better protection in busy environments.

Emergency POS keeps stores open using secure local data if a system outage or cyberattack occurs. Sales continue without disruption. Monitoring tools help detect potential issues early so they can be resolved before they escalate.

52ViKING connects to digital shelf labels and customer-facing screens. This ensures that campaign pricing, promotions and product information stay aligned throughout the customer journey.

The solution runs in cloud, on-premise or hybrid setups. Retailers can choose the best option for each store. Most grocery chains reuse existing hardware when switching to 52ViKING, which reduces rollout costs and supports sustainability goals.

Store Administration gives head offices and store managers control over product data, campaigns, pricing and staff rights. Updates can be pushed across the chain or made locally when needed.

All actions and transactions are logged and available for analysis. This gives chains a clear view of performance, user activity and campaign results. It also supports compliance, audits and operational improvements.

Salling Group

Føtex, Bilka, and Salling stores in Denmark, as well as Netto stores in Denmark, Germany, and Poland

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Dagrofa

Danish chains MENY, Spar, Min Købmand, Let-Køb

Read blog post

Europris

Norway’s largest discount variety retailer by sales

Read customer case

Fleggaard and Calle

Danish/German cross-border trade chains

Read customer case

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Grocery

Key challenges in grocery

High volume and constant throughput

Multiple checkout formats

Dynamic campaigns and discount logic

Fraud prevention in self-service formats

Loyalty, segmentation and personalisation

Staff onboarding and shift changes

Uptime and operational resilience

Retail media and digital receipts

What does it take to succeed?

How Fiftytwo supports grocery retailers

Fast, stable checkout across formats

Real-time pricing with full campaign logic

Mobile POS for flexible service

POS Designer for tailored layouts

Loyalty and personal offers

Self-checkout (SCO) and Scan&Go support

Support for unattended and hybrid formats

SoftPOS and tap-on-screen

Fraud detection and data control

Emergency POS for business continuity

Retail media and ESL integration

Hybrid deployment and hardware reuse

Central and local store management

Transparent logging and analytics

Retailers benefiting from the Fiftytwo POS solution

Streamline your retail operations

Søren Brammer Riis

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