But experts say retailers shouldn't just focus on customer experience. Andy Zanger, director of strategic industries at CDW, said: “When we talk about trends in retail, I think the big trend is to remove friction not only from the customer experience, but also from the employee experience and the associate experience. Because if associates are experiencing friction, then as a result… Customers will also feel the friction.”
Chain Store Age predicts that in 2024, “brick-and-mortar technology will expand from using AI and virtual reality (VR/AR) to deliver events, classes, and demonstrations to provide more accurate service. “This could range from continuously equipping employees with tablets and devices.” assistance (i.e. product location, availability, etc.) and customized recommendations based on the customer's previous purchases. ”
Related: Read about the technologies that are modernizing the retail checkout experience.
Why edge computing is making a comeback around AI capabilities
Artificial intelligence has been at the center of technology conversations throughout 2023 in nearly every industry segment, including retail. Retailers will be considering implementing AI next year. And as AI continues to become more prevalent in retail settings, many companies will need to find ways to access computing power to support their AI efforts.
“The key is to get the data and make something out of it,” Zanger says. “You need computing power to do that, and more and more retailers are pushing that to the edge.Retailers are moving to the cloud, and there's a lot going on in the cloud, but the problem is, The more data you push to the cloud, the worse your performance will be.”
“So retailers are looking for ways to improve that performance. And one of the big trends right now is bringing it back to the edge, running some of that compute on-premises, and moving it to the cloud. “It's about pushing people to the next level,” Zanger said. Edge computing allows retail IT teams to be more strategic about the data they send to the cloud and also optimize their cloud costs. “Not all the raw data, just the important information.”
Szanger said CDW's IoT Workshop is a logical first step for retailers looking to leverage AI in their business. “Our workshops will help you consider your business priorities, assess your technology landscape, and prioritize your list of projects based on potential ROI,” he says. .
Discover: Learn how to protect your Internet of Things investment.
Retailers need help with device lifecycle management
Of course, the growing use of IoT will mean a continued influx of devices. Again, this is nothing new, but it remains a pressing issue. Many of the new technologies introduced in retail in recent years require the introduction of new devices and sensors, from data-rich video cameras to mobile POS equipment to portable inventory and store management devices.
“Most retail organizations have numerous stores distributed throughout the country, if not the world,” Zanger says. “And he doesn't have his IT guy in all of those stores. So the retailer has to actually do these deployments, do the installation, and help make sure things are up and running.” I need it.”
