Point-of-sale shipments to China are growing at such a rate that the total will eclipse shipments to Japan and become the second largest market in the world -- just behind the United States -- by 2008, according to a new study from IHL Consulting Group.

"The entire market in the Asia/Pacific region is growing well, but China is extremely strong, largely because of the Beijing Olympics build-up," said Greg Buzek, president of IHL Consulting Group, an analyst firm and consultancy that serves retailers and retail technology vendors.

"In China and most of the Asia/Pacific region, it is important to note that the market for PC-based POS systems is quite a bit different than the other parts of the world," said Buzek. "While in more mature markets the POS systems are predominantly retail-hardened devices, the growth in China and most Asian countries is coming in the form of low-end PC POS devices and PC-on-Cash Drawer devices."

IHL says software piracy remains a big concern in Asia/Pacific countries and is the reason many vendors seek market expansion in India before China. For example, in Asia/Pacific, Microsoft operating systems dominate the POS terminals landscape; however, estimates exist that 80 percent or more of software -- operating system and applications -- are pirated, illegal copies.

IHL's new report, the "2006 Asia/Pacific Retail POS Market Study" provides definitive insights into the opportunity for POS terminals in the Asia-Pacific market, plus provides breakout analysis on nine different countries and regions. These include Japan, China, India, Australia/New Zealand, South Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan, Hong Kong and other nearby countries. The study includes trends and forecasts, shipments and installed base of POS systems, processors and operating systems, and more. The study is available immediately and is priced at $2,995USD.

IHL Consulting Group is an independent business consulting firm headquartered in Franklin, Tenn., that provides market analysis and business consulting services for retailers and information technology companies that focus on the retail industry. Along with this Asia/Pacific study, IHL also provides similar POS research for the North America and Europe/Middle East/Africa markets. For more information, visit www.ihlservices.com, or call 615-591-2955. For press contacts and interviews, contact Roy Miller at 972-717-3500 x235, or via e-mail at rmiller@transsynergy.com.