How can AI help solve retail problems?

How AI is Helping to Solve Retail Problems

AI is revolutionizing the retail industry, allowing retailers to provide cutting-edge shopping experiences, such as in-store personalized adverts and chatbots, augmented reality displays, and real-time price adjustments [1]. This is changing the way we shop, and the winners and losers in the retail sector will depend on who has taken advantage of real-time data and analytics [1].

The technology that will light the spark for this change is available now, and retailers are already pioneering the use of powerful edge AI servers in stores, which are helping to deliver the future of self-checkout [1]. AI is also being used to provide dynamic pricing and real-time promotions, as well as to unlock a world of new customer experiences, such as autonomous shopping [1].

Forward-thinking businesses are leveraging AI and edge technology to harness data and deliver personalized experiences [1]. AI cameras can be used to ensure customers leave with the right goods, and by connecting edge AI to in-store cameras, retailers may soon be able to check that deliveries match exactly what was ordered [1]. By connecting data from ecommerce with retail data, retailers can build a ‘Customer 360’ view to deliver improved experiences [1].

For large retailers, AI represents an almost magical solution to the challenges that come with having to do everything on a massive scale [2]. AI can be used to reduce employee turnover, by making better decisions about staffing levels at individual stores, incorporating everything from local weather forecasts and nearby construction to events such as store sales and football games [2]. AI can also be used to make sense of data collected from different sources, such as the transcript of an online chat with a customer-service representative, or a salesperson’s notes about a customer’s needs.

Retailers must unify their data in order to create a hybrid shopping experience that customers desire, and build a single AI system “at the central level” so that all tools can be fed into it [2]. By doing this, retailers can get a holistic view of the customer experience, and create a more seamless interaction between customers and the store [1].

Conclusion

AI is transforming the retail industry, and forward-thinking businesses are leveraging AI and edge technology to harness data and deliver personalized experiences [1]. AI can be used to reduce employee turnover, and to make sense of data collected from different sources. Retailers must unify their data in order to create a hybrid shopping experience that customers desire, and build a single AI system “at the central level” so that all tools can be fed into it [2]. By doing this, retailers can get a holistic view of the customer experience, and create a more seamless interaction between customers and the store [1].

References:-

1. https://www.techradar.com/pro/how-ai-is-creating-a-retail-revolution
2. https://biztechmagazine.com/article/2022/01/nrf22-retailers-artificial-intelligence-one-solution-solve-many-problems