Why 63 CPG Brands Said Yes to Smart Checkout

“The Smart Checkout Opportunity: Why Brands Are Ready to Fund a Smarter Checkout Ecosystem” is a PYMNTS Intelligence report produced in collaboration with FIS.

Consumer packaged goods brands spend heavily to attract shoppers and increase sales. Yet many promotions still depend on broad customer groups, paper coupons or offers that shoppers must find and activate. Brands often can’t see how a promotion affects an individual purchase. They also lack a direct link between the data they collect and the offers shoppers receive at checkout.

Smart basket technology gives brands a chance to close that gap. It can identify eligible products, select a relevant offer and apply the savings when the customer pays. This approach can help brands reach shoppers at a key point in the purchase journey. It can also give retailers more ways to increase basket size and offer value.

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In “The Smart Checkout Opportunity: Why Brands Are Ready to Fund a Smarter Checkout Ecosystem,” learn how:

• Checkout promotions deliver more value than their current use suggests. Nearly half of brands use checkout-integrated promotions today. Yet these offers tie for second place among the channels brands consider most successful for attracting customers and supporting growth. The results suggest that checkout has room to play a much larger role.
• Promotional budgets haven’t caught up with brand interest. Retail media networks lead planned budget growth at 30%, followed by AI shopping tools at 27%. Smart checkout receives only 13%. This gap creates an opening for providers that can show how checkout offers connect spending with clear sales results.
• Smaller brands see a chance to gain ground. Among brands with less than $1 billion in annual revenue, 47% expect smart checkout to become a strong competitive advantage within two years. Only 10% of brands with more than $10 billion in revenue say the same. Smaller companies may move faster as they look for new ways to compete.

The report also examines the controls brands want before they participate. These include clear ownership of data, simple operating rules and the ability to choose which products qualify for offers. For brand leaders, retailers and payments providers, the findings offer a clear view of what could bring smarter promotions to checkout.

Download the report to see where brands see the greatest opportunity and what could turn smart checkout from an idea into a working sales channel.

About the Report

“The Smart Checkout Opportunity: Why Brands are Ready to Fund a Smarter Checkout Ecosystem” is a PYMNTS Intelligence report produced in collaboration with FIS. The findings are based on a survey of 63 manufacturers and brand owners of packaged consumer goods sold through grocery, general merchandise or specialty retail, restaurant and food service, or direct-to-consumer channels. Respondents held decision-making or leadership responsibility for pricing, promotions or marketing at their organizations. About half of the brands surveyed (51%) reported 2025 revenues of less than $1 billion, and roughly one-third (32%) reported more than $10 billion.