Overview
- Ceconomy confirmed the Pay-on-Shopfloor concept and said it is piloting video consultations and two in-store AI tools to support staff and offer proactive, consent-based customer help, according to company statements published July 20, 2026.
- The company has not disclosed when or where the new payment system will roll out, which payment methods will be supported, or whether Saturn stores will adopt the model.
- Consumer groups and critics warn the system could remove anonymous checkout, create indirect sales pressure through staff-mediated payments, produce delays if employees are busy, and raise privacy concerns from digital receipt handling.
- Ceconomy has been reorganising Saturn into showrooms inside MediaMarkt and selected sites, shrinking standalone Saturn stores from about 150 to 27 and planning the first Saturn showrooms for 2027.
- The initiative is anchored in recent results—€13.1 billion revenue and online sales at 28.5% in 2025/26—and a €24 billion target for 2028, while reports of a proposed JD.com acquisition have triggered an EU review that could affect strategic plans.