A Retailer's Guide to Using Robots to Improve Customer Experience
Martech Outlook | Tuesday, July 25, 2023
The retail industry needs an IT infrastructure that supports ubiquitous, robust wireless connectivity, data collection, data aggregation, flexible cloud computing, edge analytics, mobility, and more to take advantage of the robotics revolution.
Fremont, CA: It has only been recently that robots have made their way to the "front lines" of retail, roaming the store floors and interacting with customers, as they have already been utilized behind the scenes in warehouses and distribution centers for picking, packing, and shipping duties. There are a number of major retailers testing robots throughout the retail supply chain, and they are proving their worth by reducing labor costs while increasing visibility, service levels, and customer satisfaction. The following examples illustrate this point.
Taking Stock to Improve the Customer Experience
Stay ahead of the industry with exclusive feature stories on the top companies, expert insights and the latest news delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe today.
A robot such as Tally, which is being tested in some Target stores, can survey shelf conditions; robots can reduce revenue loss and customer frustration caused by out-of-stock or misplaced items significantly by taking inventory and checking thousands of SKUs faster and more accurately than humans can.
In addition to capturing real-time information on shopper behavior, robots may also be able to collect information about how shoppers move through the store, where they congregate, and what products they purchase using video analytics and other technologies. For an insight into consumer sentiment and decision-making processes, they can even analyze shoppers' facial expressions. A combination of these data and analytics provides retailers with powerful, real-time insights that allow them to send an associate to assist shoppers, to send a personalized offer to their mobile phones, or to take other actions so that the shopper receives what they need exactly at the time.
Personal Shopping Valet
To assist customers with finding the items they are looking for within Lowe's vast home improvement store, LoweBot is used in select stores. Customers can instruct the robot to direct them to a specific item on a shelf based on what they are looking for - for example, a particular type of screw. Walmart is testing robotic shopping carts to make it easier for shoppers to find items on their shopping lists and eliminate the need to push heavy carts around the store. Customers with disabilities may benefit from this service in particular.
In Japan, Europe, and now Silicon Valley, Pepper greets customers with a humanoid robot. As a result of its interactions with customers, Pepper is capable of reading a variety of emotions, responding to their inquiries, and making recommendations. The concept of robots replacing human workers has been raised by some individuals. However, retailers actually gain the greatest benefits from using robots to augment and complement their human workforce. It is possible for robots to offload the more tedious and repetitive work, allowing employees to focus on tasks that require more skill, such as establishing and maintaining relationships with clients.
The retail industry needs an IT infrastructure that supports ubiquitous, robust wireless connectivity, data collection, data aggregation, flexible cloud computing, edge analytics, mobility, and more to take advantage of the robotics revolution.
More in News

