The third quarter of 2018 has seen some major strategic shifts among e-commerce platform providers and further investments in robotics initiatives by online retailers, such as Walmart. In the physical retail sector, some notable IT partnerships involving Microsoft and HCL Technologies have been launched by retailers looking to overhaul their digital ecosystems in order to remain relevant in a heavily disrupted and perilous market. While the deployment of new frictionless retail models- pioneered by the likes of Amazon, Auchan, JD.com, and 7-Eleven- continues to gather pace and Artificial Intelligence further cements its place as a vital strategic technology transforming in-store and supply chain operations.
ABI Research’s Smart Retail Quarterly Update for 3Q 2018 explores the biggest trends which have emerged and continued over the period, including a glimpse of some key technologies driving these changes. These include e-commerce analytics, RFID, merchandise planning software, smart vending, and automated retail.