Adoption and Impact of POS Systems in Kolkata’s Retail Sector: A Study on Digital Transformation, Challenges, and Opportunities

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-559-1_7How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Point-of-Sale (POS); Retail Technology; Kolkata; Digital Transformation; Small Retailers; Transaction Processing Systems (TPS); Technology Acceptance Model (TAM); AI-enabled POS; Inventory Management; Customer Experience; Cashless Economy; Retail Efficiency

Abstract

This study explores the adoption, utilization, and impact of Point-of-Sale (POS) systems within Kolkata’s diverse retail sector amid ongoing digital transformation. As digital payment technologies reshape retail operations, POS systems have emerged as vital tools in enhancing operational efficiency, customer experience, and inventory control. However, the rate and effectiveness of adoption vary significantly across businesses, especially among small and medium-sized enterprises in emerging market environments. This research adopts a descriptive, quantitative approach using structured questionnaires, collecting responses from 385 retail businesses across major commercial zones in Kolkata. The findings reveal that while 41.8% of respondents have adopted POS systems within the last 1–5 years, many still face challenges such as limited digital literacy, high maintenance costs, and integration issues. Sector-specific adoption patterns were identified, with clothing stores, cafes, and multi-purpose outlets showing higher usage rates. The study uncovers a significant research gap in the localized understanding of POS implementation, particularly in terms of AI-enabled features, TAM-based theoretical perspectives, and the integration of transaction processing systems (TPS) with management information systems (MIS). The research contributes actionable insights for policy-makers, technology providers, and retail business owners, recommending strategies to improve digital readiness, reduce technical barriers, and enhance the strategic use of POS data in business decision-making.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Sudipta Halder
AU  - Shantanu P. Chakraborty
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/04/19
TI  - Adoption and Impact of POS Systems in Kolkata’s Retail Sector: A Study on Digital Transformation, Challenges, and Opportunities
BT  - Proceedings of the Global Innovation and Technology Summit “AAROHAN 3.0”_HSS track (GITS-HSS 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 91
EP  - 113
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-559-1_7
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-559-1_7
ID  - Halder2026
ER  -