Where does a retailer start with digitization? What part does the Internet of Things play? And what opportunities does it offer businesses? The answers are in our Smarter Retail trendbook with numerous examples of best practices.
Digitization Trends in Industry:
Stores without checkouts and with shelves that are always full: Digital pioneers like Amazon with its automated Amazon Go stores and Ali Baba with its mobile-first supermarket Hema demonstrate how shopping works in the digital age. Customers scan the barcodes of the goods with an app and pay for them from their Taobao/Alipay account.
The Most Important Action Areas: Empty shelves, perished goods and confusing routes round the store – many factors impair the shopping experience. How digital services improve the customer experience and help ensure that there is less waste. Or how, with the aid of IoT apps, business processes are optimized so that retailers have more time for value-adding activities.
Best Practices: Mobile apps improve the user experience of customers along the entire customer journey and forecasting software helps ensure that shelves are constantly kept optimally full. Blockchain and IoT sensors keep foodstuffs safe and secure. For more about these and many other examples read the Smarter Retail trendbook.
Practical Hints: How do I start to digitize my business? The trendbook offers a great deal of specific advice with a focus on the customer. Customers want to be able to choose the terminal device they shop with and expect seamless interaction with the retailer across all channels and departments. Not to mention customized offers based on smart data analysis.
