Media Markt plans to eliminate checkouts with "Pay-on-Shopfloor" – Saturn receives its own strategy

Technical approaches remain unclear

How this will be implemented technically is not yet known in detail. Mobile payment terminals are considered a possible solution, with which employees could process the payment during the consultation. Lebensmittel Zeitung also reports that Ceconomy is testing software that is integrated directly into employees' work devices. The company has not yet provided concrete details on which payment methods will be used.

Media Markt is also keeping quiet about the timetable, launch region, and scope. It is therefore unclear whether the concept will be rolled out in all German stores from the start or whether it will first be tested in individual stores. In which cities a possible test will begin and which payment methods will be offered was also open at the time of the report.

Parallel project: Advice via video

In parallel, the retailer is pushing ahead with another digital project, according to its own statements: consultation calls via video. Trained employees should be able to look after customers both in the store and digitally. The offering is initially being tested in selected areas of so-called Tech Villages. An AI is intended to support the conversations with product information and recommendations. Media Markt is thus pursuing two separate modernization tracks that appear to be interlinked.

Separate strategy for Saturn

For the sister brand Saturn, Ceconomy is meanwhile taking its own path. "Ab 2027 sollen demnach erste Saturn-Showrooms in bestehenden Media-Markt-Häusern entstehen", reports Lebensmittel Zeitung. The two electronics retail chains are thus merging more closely, at least spatially, without Saturn – unlike Media Markt – being committed to the "Pay-on-Shopfloor" concept. The responsible parties left open which Saturn-specific strategy will ultimately take hold.

Stationary retail has been experimenting with different approaches for some time to break up the classic checkout area. "No uniform approach has emerged so far in the sector", states Lebensmittel Zeitung. Various retailers are testing mobile checkout systems, self-checkout solutions, or sales-staff-led payment processes directly at the shelf – without a uniform standard having prevailed so far.

Impact on employees and customers

Observers see the move as part of a larger trend: advice and transaction are moving closer together, the role of employees in the sales area is changing from the checkout process to professional support. With this, Media Markt is testing a model that calls into question both the classic supermarket checkout and the self-service area. Which variant prevails in the long term also depends on how customers respond to the offering.

The launch in Germany is planned "zeitnah" (soon), according to Lebensmittel Zeitung. Since Media Markt itself has not yet provided any concrete details on the system, cities, or payment methods, answers to many detailed questions remain open for the time being. As soon as Ceconomy or Media Markt publicly announce launch dates, pilot stores, or technical interfaces, the picture is likely to become significantly clearer.

For employees, the change would be associated with a changed working day: Instead of working at fixed checkout stations, salespeople would handle the completion of the purchase on the move during the consultation. Industry experts see both opportunities for stronger customer loyalty and risks – for example, in terms of training costs, data protection, and technical stability of the end devices.

Overall, a transformation is emerging in stationary electronics retail, in which Media Markt claims a pioneering role with "Pay-on-Shopfloor". Saturn remains part of the same brand family with its showroom concept from 2027, but is taking its own paths. However, it will probably be several more months before the first stores actually manage without classic checkouts.