Smart shelves market seen topping $11 billion by 2030

The Business Research Company says the smart shelves market is on track for rapid growth as retailers adopt automation, real-time inventory tools and electronic shelf labels. North America and the U.S. are expected to lead the category, while hardware remains the biggest segment.

Why it matters: - Smart shelves are moving from a niche retail tool to a core part of store automation, inventory accuracy and omnichannel operations. - The market’s growth points to rising investment in technologies that reduce stockouts, improve shelf visibility and support cashier-less and connected-store models.

What happened: - The Business Research Company released its Smart Shelves Market Report 2026, covering the market outlook through 2035. - The report says the smart shelves market is expected to surpass $11 billion by 2030. - The market is forecast to grow at a 19% compound annual growth rate through 2030. - North America is projected to lead the market in 2030 with a valuation of $2.9 billion, up from $1.1 billion in 2025. - The United States is projected to be the largest country market, reaching $2.5 billion by 2030 from $0.9 billion in 2025.

The details: - Smart shelves will represent nearly 0.1% of the broader information technology market, which the report estimates at $13,788 billion by 2030. - The report also places the broader smart technology market at around $3,157 billion by 2030. - Hardware is projected to dominate the smart shelves market by 2030, accounting for 61% of the market, or about $7 billion. - Hardware growth is tied to RFID tags, weight sensors, electronic shelf labels, shelf frameworks and low-power sensing and connectivity. - The market is segmented across hardware, software and services. - The market also splits by enterprise size, application and end user. - Key applications include planogram management, inventory management, pricing management and content management. - End users include departmental stores, supermarkets, specialty stores and other retail outlets. - The report says retail automation and cashier-less store models are adding roughly 2.2% annually to market growth. - Demand for real-time inventory visibility and accuracy is projected to contribute about 2.0% annual growth. - Wider use of AI, IoT and electronic shelf labels is forecast to add around 1.9% annual growth. - Hardware is projected to grow by $4 billion between 2025 and 2030. - Software is projected to grow by $2 billion over the same period. - Services are projected to grow by $1 billion over the same period. - The report says the combined hardware, software and services segments offer more than $7 billion in value creation by 2030.

Between the lines: - The report frames smart shelves as part of a broader shift toward connected retail, where pricing, inventory and merchandising are managed in real time. - North America’s lead suggests the strongest demand is coming from markets with more advanced retail infrastructure and automation adoption. - The U.S. lead reflects retailer demand for AI-powered automation, omnichannel inventory management and loss reduction. - The market remains moderately fragmented, with the top 10 companies accounting for 21% of revenue in 2025. - VusionGroup led global smart shelves sales in 2025 with a 5% share, according to The Business Research Company. - Competition is centered on inventory accuracy, omnichannel integration, loss prevention and AI-enabled shelf management.

What's next: - The report expects further growth from strategic collaborations, product launches and geographic expansion. - Leaders are investing in shelf sensing, AI-driven forecasting, cloud-based management platforms and computer vision to improve store execution. - Pricer AB launched its pricer avenue platform in March 2025 to modernize shelf-edge communication and improve store productivity. - The company’s platform includes modular powered communication rails, snap-in electronic shelf labels and glare-free displays. - The report says those features are designed to speed shelf updates, improve execution and enhance the in-store customer experience. - The Business Research Company says its 2026 reports now include market attractiveness scoring, TAM analysis, company scoring matrices, Excel forecasting dashboards and market hotspots infographics.

The bottom line: - Smart shelves are emerging as a fast-growing retail infrastructure category, with hardware still leading but software and services gaining ground as stores push for more automation and better real-time control.