The Digital Transformation of Retail
You go shopping; let’s say it’s a national hardware store because you have a painting project you’ve decided to tackle this weekend. You have done your research online, chosen the paint and now you are at the store to pick up your supplies and get started. But, when you reach the section with the paintbrushes, you realize you’re not exactly sure what you need. You stand there for a moment trying to figure it out, and then you start looking around, hoping a sales associate will appear. And one does! She’s smiling, and she’s an expert in paints and yes, she can direct you to the brush you need — and reminds you to pick up some blue tape.
No, shopping future. This kind of positive customer experience is one of the many ways that artificial intelligence (AI), sophisticated data gathering, and the cloud are being used to empower employees, bring consumers into stores, and shorten the path to purchase. These advancements help brick and mortar retailers compete with online retailers in today’s world. It’s the digital transformation of retail, and it’s happening now in ways big and small.
This transformation is driven by data, which today can come from any number of sources. In this example (a product called Floor Sense from Microsoft partner company Mindtree), the data is collected from security cameras already in place throughout the store. The cameras capture footage of how people move through space, where they stop and what they do as they shop. The video feed is then analyzed using AI that has been trained to understand how a customer acts when he or she needs help. When that behavior is recognized, a sales associate with the right expertise is sent to talk to the customer and help the customer make a decision.
But a store’s proprietary data is only the tip of the iceberg. Today, there are millions of data points that are either publicly available or easy to purchase from companies like Experian and Acxiom. Retailers can combine that demographic data with their existing CRM data to model behavior and build micro-segmentations of their customer base.
Posted on 7wData.be.

