Customer Footfall Analysis
February 12, 2025
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Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are disrupting the entire business landscape across the globe. The retail industry is no exception.
Leading retailers from across the world have started experimenting with Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). There has been an influx of various technologies into the sector in order to shape the shopping experiences as well as the retail operation.
Retailers all across the world are already spending billions of dollars trying to stay ahead of their competition by incorporating these technologies in their day-to-day operations.
In this article, we will have a closer look at what Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are in the context of the retail industry as well as the benefits that these technologies can provide.
Prior to the introduction of Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), retailers have been using complicated spreadsheets in order to forecast their demand. As a result, their ability to generate such forecasts was limited.
Leading retailers have now started utilizing AI and ML in order to mine their database, perform complex analytics and come up with a more detailed and highly accurate forecast.
Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) based tools are able to quickly analyse past data provided by the stores as well as the current trends in the marketplace to come up with a more accurate prediction. An accurate prediction helps retailers avoid stockouts as well as having their money tied in inventory, both of which are detrimental to their finances.
Retailers tend to have complex supply chains wherein their goods are sourced from all over the world. These operations can be very complex to manage. Also, the inability to manage these operations on a day to day basis can cost the retailers a lot of money. This is where Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) come to the rescue. They are able to create an optimized schedule for supply chain operations. These technologies are also able to adapt the data in real time based on the current situation of the supply chain.
The online retailers have witnessed an increase in their sales because of such recommendations. Offline brick and mortar retailers are also trying to use recommendation engines. They try to collect behavioural and financial data about the customer and then try to come up with personalized offers for them.
Offline retailers generally lag behind because of the paucity of data. However, they have now created their own applications which they try to get the end customer to install on their phones. This helps them obtain access to the data that they need.
However, it is important to note that many retailers did implement this strategy during the coronavirus pandemic and faced a backlash. This is because these retailers increased the prices of goods related to hygiene creating an impression that there was going to be a shortage. This created panic amongst the consumers.
Once the consumers understood the real situation, they labelled the retailers as being opportunistic. The end result was that the brand value of many retailers took a significant hit.
The software can identify such people and immediately send a report to the security personnel. Retailers which have implemented Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) based security systems have reported a drastic reduction in shrinkage. However, these software tools are currently very expensive. Their price needs to be rationalized so that retailers all over the globe can deploy such software in their stores.
It is certain that Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are very important for the future of the retail industry.
It is expected that retailers all over the world are likely to spend upwards of $50 billion trying to implement Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in the industry. However, these technologies are just new tools which will be used to play an old game.
There is no doubt about the fact that these tools provide unmatched benefits to retailers. However, the decision to deploy these tools needs to be done in a strategic manner in order to ensure that the retailer can get the maximum advantage from the same.
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