The commercial industry has developed and innovated over time. With the Internet of Things (IoT) and data analytics used in every sector, there are opportunities for greater digital transformation in retail.
The leading innovation in retail will begin in the area of public mass consumption. If you look carefully here, you will see the future and prepare for the future.
Robotics is used in a wide variety of industries, but robotics in retail is an exciting and growing arena. Combined with cloud technology and analytics, this could revolutionize the retail value chain. IoT is widely used in retail for data collection and analysis. In retail stores, robots can work precisely, repeatedly and independently, processing collected data and solving real business problems with varying degrees of success and reliability.
By 2025, there will be more than 150,000 mobile robots placed in retail stores, according to ABI Research. And robotic work will definitely not be limited to inventory management.
In terms of automation, RPA is more attractive because it saves labor and labor costs, increases productivity, and increases customer loyalty. It also tends to lower the costs for consumers to reach the market, which in turn means more people can afford to buy. Nowadays, even retail company IT departments are using RPA bots, which can make it easier for people in the call center with better service options. In addition, questions from people on the backend can be reached by employees so they can be answered immediately.
Where do Robots fit in tomorrow’s tech-advanced Retail Industry
Customer Services
For customers, the presence of useful robots in stores turns into seamless personal shopping. Retailers can take advantage of the rise of robots to achieve increased productivity, lower costs, improve customer experience and increase profits.
Recently, Softbank’s Pepper Japan, a customer service robot programmed to talk to customers, provide directions, and answer questions, has been shown to increase foot traffic by 70% and sales by 13%.
Robotized Check Out
Speeding up the payment process through automation is another area merchants can aim at. The best automated payment solutions don’t turn customers into cashiers and force them to delay scanning barcodes. RAIN RFID-enabled automatic payments offer a simple and intuitive experience where all tagged items are scanned immediately and silently – for a faster and less disappointing customer experience.
Improve Inventory Management
In times of high demand like Christmas, shelves can run out faster than expected. The robot can track item depletion and alert shop staff to fill empty shelves on time. Inventory management is now something robots can do in stores, too.
Retailers should pay attention to manual, normal, repetitive, or dangerous jobs because they need to be automated using robotics. While medium-sized retailers can use robots to monitor general shelves’ availability, larger retailers can use robots with specialized skills such as personal interactions with customers through voice, vision, and artificial intelligence.
Automation and robots undoubtedly help merchants achieve consistency and error-free operation, eliminating the need for human input in most cases. Technology knows no boundaries and no one knows whether robotic intelligence will be good enough to completely replace humans in the coming years. But the current trend is a combination of both. After all, the robots in stores definitely represent a new era of retail.