The past 18 months have proven to be a challenge for the retail sector. While industries worldwide are deep into the recovery process, the domino effect of COVID-19 continues as supply chain issues and labor shortages threaten to undermine peak season sales. Supply chain disruptions and shuttered stores caused dramatic shifts in inventory levels, item-level stock count accuracies, and reduced sales figures from the beginning of the pandemic. The drop in revenue caused several retailers to lay off staff to remain operational, a short-term solution that would have long-term implications.
Part one of this insight report looked at the sector’s sentiment toward growth and the challenges that retailers perceive to be impacting the industry going forward. Part two now considers how retailers can put greater emphasis on streamlining in-store processes and the importance of finding the right solutions that cater to newfound consumer demands. The report explores current concerns from retailers when it comes to implementing new technologies and the pain points that many currently feel as recovery continues. (8 pages)