The Five Biggest Retail Tech Trends In 2022
As we move into 2022, the global pandemic, which is still ongoing, has brought seismic changes to the world of retail. Online, retailers are busier than ever and challenged by the need to fill orders and refresh inventory at an increasingly rapid pace, as well as reduce revenue and wastage caused by returns. Offline, in the world of malls, high streets, and bricks 'n' mortar, the challenges are very different, as retailers face declining footfall and the need to compete with global e-tailers on convenience as well as price.
It's clear that even in 2022, customers still want in-person retail, particularly when it can be augmented with technology to create new experiences and match the convenience factor of online shopping. Creating hybrid shopping experiences like “buy-online-pickup-in-store” and developing omnichannel capabilities is the name of the game now, so here’s what I predict will be the hottest trends in shopping and retail over the next 12 months:
Cashierless shopping
Pioneered by Amazon, which launched its first Amazon Go cashier-less store back in 2018, the model has proved successful, and it is now being rolled out by an increasing number of retailers. These stores use cameras and sensors to track shoppers’ activities as they remove items from shelves and place them in their bags, and automatically bill them when they leave the premises. Initial use cases were limited to small convenience stores, but during 2022 we can expect to see it rolled out into full-sized supermarkets, thanks to companies including Tesco and Aldi throwing their weight behind the idea.
Of course, the idea is clearly controversial as, on the face of it, it involves replacing human jobs with automated ones. McKinsey estimates that replacing a retail employee with automated technology costs between 20% and 30% of the human worker’s salary, so there would seem to be an obvious incentive for profit-oriented businesses to cut their workforce if the technology is available. However, the counter-argument is that automating mundane work like scanning groceries at a till will free up humans to do more rewarding tasks rather than simply replace them. This makes the problem a societal challenge as much as it is a business one, meaning society at large – including legislators – will need to cooperate on the solution rather than simply leaving it in the hands of corporations. We can expect this discussion to become increasingly prominent in 2022 and as the decade rolls on.
Experiential retailing
Experience is increasingly becoming an important differentiator for consumers when it comes to making decisions about who they will give their custom to. While previously businesses expected to compete mainly on products and price, today factors such as customer service, accessibility, ease of use, knowledgeability of sales staff and any number of “ambient” factors such as the décor of retail outlets or the design of e-commerce sites play a part in customer decision-making. Experiential retailing, from a technology point of view, is about understanding the role that these factors play and putting measures in place to track and optimize their impact. For example, in bricks 'n' mortar stores, sales assistants can be equipped with hand-held terminals that can give them information on customers' shopping habits and past purchases, allowing them to provide "personalized" shopping experiences much as they would receive online.
Autonomous delivery
When it comes to delivery, the “last mile” is often the most expensive leg of the journey. So it makes sense that this is where many retailers are focusing their efforts when it comes to autonomous delivery services.
Social and omnichannel commerce
In retail, "omnichannel" means using all of the avenues available to reach customers and provide services – and increasingly, this means social media and social selling. However, rather than simply letting customers connect and buy through any channel – offline stores, websites, Facebook, Instagram, etc. – it means offering a "joined-up" experience. For example, a customer might want to place an order for an item through a business’s e-commerce site, then check the status of their order via Facebook messenger, and then pick it up in-store when it arrives.
Resilient and secure retail
Given everything that has occurred over the last two years, it isn’t surprising that resilience is a key buzzword in all areas of B2C operations going into 2022. Particularly in offline retail, covid (and other possible future pandemics) security is a hugely important element of this trend. For example, we can expect to see technology deployed to encourage and monitor social distancing, such as the Voxel51 platform that uses computer vision to monitor traffic footfall and warn of dangerous build-ups in congestion in crowded areas. Another solution, created by Wipro, uses heat vision to monitor the temperature of people in crowds, potentially providing early warning of viral infections. It can also monitor compliance with facemask regulations.