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Retail Technology: Why You Should Consider Using AI and IoT for Sales Growth
Retail technology is evolving at a rapid pace, shaping the future of the industry along the way. As retailers continue to find more practical applications for AI and IoT-driven solutions to integrate, they devise ways to offer an increasingly engaging environment for their customers. By bringing them personalized experiences and enhanced services, they promote higher levels of satisfaction. From an internal perspective, the gains are just as tangible, as these technologies foster optimized operational efficiency at every level. This article delves into the hands-on uses of retail technology and explores all the benefits of these key trends.
Leveraging AI for Sales Growth in Retail
What sets AI (Artificial Intelligence) apart from other additions to the retail technology landscape is its ability to produce actionable insights in real-time. These are much more than mere data points. From understanding customer preferences to optimizing inventory and supply chain management, and enhancing overall business strategies, AI analyzes and interprets data to make it relevant and useful.
AI-Powered Personalization for Enhanced Customer Engagement
With an online world that focuses on individual experiences and messaging, consumers no longer feel at home with the depersonalized nature of the traditional physical retail model. But what algorithms have started in the digital sphere, retail technology continues in brick-and-mortar stores through hybrid approaches and AI-driven strategies.
These solutions generate tailored recommendations, promotions, and in-store experiences based on customer behavior, making shoppers feel seen, heard, and understood. This level of validation coupled with the relevance of the suggestions promotes engagement and boosts purchase decisions.
Optimizing Inventory Management with AI
Inventory management is another area where Artificial Intelligence proves to be a powerful asset. By analyzing consumer trends, performing sales audits on the fly, and generating demand forecasting models, AI models can help retailers adapt to demand fluctuations. These tools leverage inventory data and reconcile it with information on sold products to predict the timing for replenishing stocks through machine learning algorithms. Thanks to this solution, you can minimize excess stock and stock-outs year-round.
Boosting Customer Service through AI Chatbots
AI chatbots and virtual shopping assistants streamline customer service interactions, bringing engaging, conversational experiences to customers while freeing up time for staff to handle more complex inquiries. From providing information about products to offering personalized recommendations, and placing and tracking orders, AI assistants boost the speed and efficiency of customer service.
Utilizing Predictive Analytics for Accurate Sales Forecasting
Predictive sales analytics is a crucial aspect of retail technology that relies on AI, machine learning, and data-powered statistical models to determine patterns and forecast future sales trends. The most relevant data points include:
- Market trends
- Customer information
- Past sales performance
- Marketing data
- Economic conditions
- Financial figures, etc.
Modern retail technology does away with inefficient spreadsheets prone to human error, using predictive analytics software to update pertinent data, clean it, study it, and create reports automatically. For example, you could forecast demand for a seasonal product by having the system analyze customer behavior, historical sales data, weather patterns, foot traffic, and more. From the insights generated, you can optimize your inventory levels and allocate resources to boost sales while avoiding stock-outs.
Exploring the Different Types of Retail Technologies in 2024
While leveraging data is at the heart of modern retail operations, Artificial Intelligence also translates into very tangible applications. AR and VR-enabled experiences, retail spaces that take full advantage of IoT solutions, meaningful integration of blockchain technology, and mobile-first approaches allow retailers to reimagine their role and invite their customers into a world designed for their engagement and satisfaction.
Implementing Internet of Things (IoT) in Retail Spaces
IoT retail technology is changing the global retail industry. Some of the most compelling examples include:
- Digital price tags and digital end cap display solutions,
- RFID-enabled inventory management,
- Sensors designed to facilitate store automation, predictive maintenance, optimize in-store wait times, and more…
The benefits are practically infinite. IoT devices allow you to improve customer experience through targeted promotions and personalized recommendations delivered where and when it matters the most: right at the shelf. This way, interactions happen when people are physically in front of the products, with a mindset conducive to purchasing decisions.
Ensuring Supply Chain Transparency with Blockchain
Consumer-facing retailers, as well as their suppliers and partners, can all benefit from the highest level of supply chain efficiency and transparency. Retail technology provides actionable solutions from ramping up speed to reducing costs, increasing visibility across the supply network, and optimizing “last mile” operations. Blockchain technology, in particular, allows you to record transactions permanently (and in a verifiable way) on a decentralized open-source ledger. These irreversible and unfalsifiable records account for a product’s journey, from manufacturing to the end customer. They can only be added to, never altered, ensuring flawless traceability in supply chain management.
Adopting Contactless Payment Systems
Payment is another area greatly aided by the emergence of the latest retail technology. Studies suggest millennials and Gen Z are willing to shop or spend more with retailers offering contactless checkout alternatives. This is why self-checkout solutions that deliver seamless experiences across every touchpoint — in-store, online, on social media, or mobile in general — are becoming a must. Options such as mPOS (mobile-POS), Amazon’s “just walk out” technology, and even simple digital wallet support and BOPIS (buy online, pick up in-store) capabilities contribute to the “phygital”, omnichannel retail experience consumers now expect.
Real-World Applications of AI in Retail
Whether online, in brick-and-mortar stores, or integrated with omnichannel retail strategies, shining examples of how AI elevates the shopping experience while empowering retailers with more control over their operations abound. Let us explore how retail technology translates into real-world advantages.
E-commerce Case Study: AI-Driven Strategies
One of the most compelling examples of successfully implemented AI-driven strategies is Amazon. The online retail giant utilizes AI to produce highly personalized recommendations that drive engagement and boost conversion rates. Studies show that having these AI algorithms curate selections of products tailored to the users’ preferences not only streamlines the shopping experience, but also cultivates customer loyalty. Amazon customers know they will be introduced to new products they will likely love, motivating them to keep browsing. What sets this retail technology apart is its adaptability, with real-time adjustments, cross-selling features, and purchase predictions.
Spotify relies on a similar model to identify the users’ tastes in music and suggest what song to play next.
Brick-and-Mortar Case Study: Enhancing In-Store Experiences with AI
While the use of AI features in the online retail market is now generalized, bots are also crucial for optimizing in-store operations and offering enhanced shopping experiences for customers. For example, New York-based grocery chain Westside Market turned to VusionGroup to automate price adjustments, improve in-store associates’ experience by avoiding repetitive tasks, and create a more fulfilling experience for customers. Thanks to digital price tags and real-time shelf monitoring and data analysis, shoppers enjoy detailed product information, activation campaigns, and even higher-quality produce with the help of Captana.
Combining AI with Omnichannel Retail Approaches
Combining AI-elevated retail technology online and offline creates the ultimate omnichannel retail approach, which Westside Market also explored thanks to VusionGroup’s solutions. The Engage rails, for instance, display animations, GIFs, and even QR codes customers can engage with through their phones. By harnessing the full power of IoT, Cloud, Data, and AI technologies, the retailer was able to deliver impactful messages right at the shelf, inviting customers to enjoy all the benefits of tech-enhanced shopping experiences.
Elevating Consumer Experiences with Retail Technology
Implementing advanced retail technology isn’t a simple matter of following retail trends. One of the main goals is to promote elevated consumer experiences designed to increase satisfaction and loyalty. Ultimately, the strategy grows sales and ensures higher returns.
Leveraging Personalization for Customer Insights
Modern retail advertising is a far cry from the one-size-fits-all approach that used to be the norm across the industry. Today, understanding your customers independently is the only way to provide the personalized experiences required to drive engagement and loyalty. Retail technology allows you to process and analyze vast amounts of shoppers’ data to leverage for customized suggestions.
For customers, this translates into convenience and quality of service all while supercharging product discovery. Based on their behavior — purchase/browsing history, how they move throughout the store, reviews, questions they asked chatbots, products they interacted with, and more — customers receive tailored suggestions and individualized promotions.
Creating Seamless Shopping Journeys
Based on highly targeted customer insights and product recommendations, retailers can fine-tune shopping journeys to create seamless, fulfilling experiences. This can include convenient services such as voice-activated ordering, cashier-less checkout, augmented reality integrations, and enhanced customer service through 24/7 chatbot support. Well-managed in-store processes (through AI and IoT) also support seamless shopping journeys by ensuring optimal stock availability, relevance, freshness of the products, etc.
Finally, let’s not forget about the human touch which not only still matters, but is greatly improved by the input of retail technology. While consumers appreciate the benefits of retail technology, they disapprove of complete machine takeover scenarios. For example, you could have AI provide routine customized recommendations and general information, freeing up staff to engage with customers who require in-depth interactions. By maintaining human relations where it truly matters, you can forge the ultimate shopping journey, where customers feel seen, heard, and understood at every turn.
Improving Customer Loyalty and Retention Programs
Just as customers are less likely to engage fully with experiences that are not tailored to their needs and preferences, securing their loyalty also means developing a more profound understanding of who they are and what they want. Leveraging consumer data makes it possible to design hyper-personalized loyalty and retention programs through targeted long-term or cumulative promotions.
Integrate AI and IoT Technology into your Retail Strategy with Vusion
Vusion places AI-powered retail analytics at your fingertips, supporting you and your store through your retail digital transformation. VusionGroup’s IoT solutions streamline every in-store process from price updates to continued product integrity with digital price tags, increasing efficiency by providing associates with powerful and reliable tools and real-time information. With Captana and VusionCloud, you can leverage real-time data and utilize every single piece of information captured over time to generate in-depth insights.
Take control of your priorities by keeping an eye on key metrics. VusionGroup’s solutions let you manage your store remotely, help you reduce stock-outs, and ensure higher customer satisfaction for amplified returns.
Unleash the power of AI- and IoT-driven retail technology with VusionGroup!
