TRENDING
“
RETAIL HAS
BEEN SLOW TO
IMPLEMENT
WORKPLACE
TECHNOLOGY.
customer experience and a stronger bottom
line. To set its recommendations in context,
the study highlights five key trends that
have emerged:
1. Lagging in workplace technology:
Compared to other industries, retail
has been slow to implement workplace
technology. Almost two-thirds (63%) of
managers and employees surveyed said
that their organisation is at risk of falling
behind competitors if new technology is
not implemented.
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INTELLIGENTCIO
2. Employees must be empowered
with technology: To thrive, the bricks-
and-mortar retailer of the near future
needs to provide its staff with the
connected digital tools that allow them
to deliver more personalised services to
every customer. At present, less than
two-fifths (39%) of those surveyed
have access to cloud computing
applications, which can bring both
better collaboration and productivity in
the retail environment.
3. A need for deeper insights into stock
and inventory: Customers expect
retailers to provide the items they want,
when they want and where they want
them. Only by improving their data
systems – and potentially making better
use of RFID scanning and electronic
shelf labeling technology – can retailers
solve the age-old problem of knowing
exactly what they have in stock at any
given time and where it is located.
4. The old silos need to be broken down:
Bridging the physical with digital will
require the divisions and structures that
currently exist within retail organisations
to be broken down, so internal systems
blend seamlessly and work together to
deliver the rich, personalised experiences
that customers now expect.
5. An opportunity to think longer-term:
Retailers need to accept the necessity
of major investment in both systems
and people, and to find new ways of
measuring success that value both short
and long-term results.
New measurement and the right
talent in a digital era
When looking at transformation projects,
retailers should look at new ways of
measuring success and think longer-term
on ROI, Daniel Bobroff believes. “We are
talking about continuous innovation and
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