Global demand for retail point of sale (POS) displays is expected to remain under pressure in 2026, with mobile POS display shipments forecast to decline 11.5% year-over-year (YoY) to 11.7 million units, while standalone POS display shipments are expected to decrease 8.6% YoY to 3.2 million units, according to Omdia’s Industrial and Public Display & OEM Intelligence Service.. Despite weaker shipment volumes, the retail POS market is undergoing a structural shift, driven by changing payment methods and rising hardware costs. This is creating new opportunities for higher-value display solutions.
SoftPOS adoption reshapes retail POS display demand
SoftPOS adoption is accelerating across North America, Europe, Australia, Brazil, India, and Southeast Asia, enabling merchants to accept contactless payments through existing computing devices. This reduces reliance on dedicated mobile POS terminals equipped with separate NFC readers and is increasingly extending into standalone POS and self-service kiosk platforms.
Display sizes vary across retail POS hardware segments. Mobile POS devices primarily use 5-inch to 8-inch displays, while standalone POS systems are mainly based on 15-inch, 15.6-inch, and 21.5-inch display sizes.
At the same time, rising processor, memory, and storage costs are placing significant pressure on POS brands, particularly those using x86 platforms, Omdia estimates standalone POS bill of material (BOM) costs could increase by 30% to 60% during 2026, depending on platform specifications. This has led many brands to pull in inventory during the first half of the year, while existing lower -specification models are replacing some demand from new models.
NFC-embedded display technology and hardware integration
As a result, POS brands are increasingly focusing on cost-optimization strategies while seeking ways to simplify hardware configurations. One technology that has regained attention in 2026 is the integration of NFC functionality directly into the display back bezel, which reduces reliance on separate card readers with embedded NFC antennas. This architecture simplifies system design while supporting contactless payment requirements.
As payment functionality increasingly migrates into display hardware, industrial display suppliers capable of delivering NFC integration, certification support, and customized module design are expected to capture greater value.The trend is also expanding beyond traditional POS systems into 21.5-inch, 23.8-inch, and 27-inch kiosk platforms, creating additional opportunities for display suppliers.
Several panel makers, including AUO Display Plus, BOE, Innolux, and Tianma, have already introduced NFC-embedded display solutions and are actively working to obtain the necessary certifications required for the retail payment market.
Looking ahead, some panel makers are also evaluating the feasibility of integrating NFC sensing layers directly onto the display color filter. This could enable full-screen NFC detection, expand the effective sensing area, and reduce integration constraints associated with conventional antenna placement in retail POS systems.
“Although retail POS display shipments are expected to decline in the near term, NFC-embedded displays represent a higher-value growth opportunity for industrial display suppliers.” said Omdia Principal Analyst TzuYu Huang. “Omdia forecasts NFC-embedded display penetration will continue to increase through 2027 as POS ODMs and brands accelerate deployment of SoftPOS-enabled platforms and seek to reduce peripheral hardware costs.”
Figure 1. Retail display shipment and NFC-embedded display penetration (%), thousands of units, 2024-27F
