How The Cloudification of the Edge is Transforming The Retail Industry

It’s a frustration many customers have encountered. After going online to see if a certain product or style is in stock, it’s time to head to the store and pick it up. But then, when you’re there, the item isn’t.

That could be changing, said Eshe Pickett, Software Architect for the Intel Internet of Things Group, as retail outlets utilize edge and cloud technologies to better manage data that tracks inventory and other metrics.

“One of the great things about this emerging interoperability … is where you have the ability to replicate your data in multiple locations and keep those datasets very well synced,” she said.

The two types of systems can work together to better integrate systems retailers need not only to work, but to work quickly to provide the best type of customer experience.

“Enabling those systems to interoperate between cloud-backed inventory management or point-of-sale solution that is tied to in-store inventory is one of the things retailers have really been working to make seamless. So, being able to host data at the edge and cache the data, where it’s going to be most needed to reduce the latency in terms of going back to the cloud and coming back to the edge – you’re able to provide a much more seamless experience,” Pickett said.

That’s one of several use cases more advanced servers are helping retailers with, with others including improved point-of-sale experiences and loyalty customers being able to utilize an app to quickly get in and out of a store after deciding which items they want to pick up.

Learn more about The Open Retail Initiative by connecting with Eshe Pickett on LinkedIn or visit https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/retail/open-retail-initiative.html.

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