Evan Schuman's StorefrontBacktalk

Payment card authorization terminal shipments jumped almost 9 percent last year, to 13.9 million units from 12.8 million in 2007, according to new figures compiled by The Nilson Report. It’s also a market that remains dominated by a handful of vendors, with the top half-dozen vendors—Ingenico, Verifone, Hypercom, SZZT Electronics, CyberNet and Castles Technology—controlling 85 percent of the market last year, which was virtually the same amount they controlled in 2007.

The report saw the overwhelming portion of the growth happening outside the U.S. and Canada. Indeed, shipments to both countries actually declined last year, according to the report. “The U.S. received 2.4 million units, down 2.8 percent or 71,382 units. Its market share of 17.6 percent was down from 19.7 percent. Canada received 273,638 units, down 16,313 units or 5.6 percent. Its market share was 2.0 percent, down from 2.3 percent,” the report said. “The Asia/Pacific region had the highest increase in number of units shipped, up 559,843 terminals to 3.6 million, an increase of 18.1 percent. Its market share grew to 26.3 percent from 24.2 percent. Europe received the most new POS terminals in 2008: 4.5 million units, up 5.7 percent or 241,626 units more than 2007. However, its market share of 32.2 percent was down from 33.1 percent.”