By Michelle Arney, Cybera
Anyone who has shopped recently recognizes just how much rising
consumer expectations have changed the retail industry. In particular,
consumers are increasingly insisting upon an integrated shopping approach that
blurs the lines between physical in-store experiences and digital online
experiences. These market trends put even more pressure on retailers that are
trying to figure out how to deliver more engaging customer experiences.
In theory, the emergence and rapid deployment of technologies such
as VR/AR and the Internet of Things (IoT) enable retailers to more easily
embrace a digital approach, because they create immersive and personalized
experiences much faster and easier than ever before.
Unfortunately, smaller retail shops operating at the edge of the
network typically lack the budget or IT expertise to embrace the digital
technologies that attract and keep customers engaged. In fact, small-footprint
retailers often struggle to overcome operational difficulties such as a
non-digitized supply chain, making it nearly impossible to compete with larger
businesses.
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In other words, even if smaller retailers know what they
should do…they don’t always know how. So exactly what actions can
retailers take to streamline their digital transformation? Change often starts
with a secure software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) platform that
provides the network foundation for greater business agility, flexibility and
security.
Using SD-WAN technology as the backbone of the business can help
retailers realize the positive impacts of digital transformation much faster,
because they’re empowered to quickly adopt new technologies that don’t require
advanced IT expertise. Here are four ways choosing SD-WAN helps to transform
the retail experience:
- Avoiding the legacy burden;
- Letting IT lead the way to agility;
- Focusing on innovation that’s secure; and
- Using omnichannel rules to get personal.
Avoiding The Legacy Burden
According to Gartner, legacy WANs accounted for 63% of network
spending. But using such a large percentage of the IT budget just to maintain
legacy networks doesn’t clear the way for digital transformation. Investing in
strategic IT — such as virtualization, cloud-based systems and software-defined
networks — is a much more strategic approach.
In fact, IDC’s U.S. Enterprise
Communications Survey found that 75% of respondents were already using or would
be using SD-WAN within two years. Another IDC SD-WAN survey revealed that nearly a quarter of
respondents anticipated SD-WAN cost savings of 20% to 39%. That’s because
improving network intelligence via software reduces both complexity and cost
while increasing flexibility. With an agile SD-WAN platform, retailers can
compete in a much more dynamic world, adapting to new consumer trends by
quickly rolling out cloud-based apps and services to attract new customers and
grow revenues.
Letting IT Lead The Way To Agility
To compete with online mega-sellers, retailers must behave more
like tech companies — increasing IT agility and innovation while expanding the
use of mobile technologies. Because consumers are living in a digital-first
world, their behaviors and expectations are evolving as quickly as the
technology itself. Today, both in-person and online (“omnichannel”) experiences
are a vital part of the shopping process. If small-footprint retailers don’t
realize that the two are intrinsically interlinked, they’ll be at a distinct
disadvantage.
Instead, retailers that have struggled to keep up with technology
must take a page from the tech companies that have learned to operate more nimbly
and efficiently by leveraging technology as a competitive advantage.
Fortunately, SD-WAN can help turn IT into a growth engine with more agile
business processes, simplified networks and automation to keep up with larger
competitors and leapfrog similar-size retailers.
Focusing On Innovation That’s Secure
Many retailers are reluctant to embrace innovation unless they can
mitigate the cybersecurity risks. This is especially true in an era when a
single high-profile security breach can be extremely expensive, both
financially and from a brand reputation perspective. But that represents
backward thinking. The latest technology innovations can actually bring higher
levels of security to protect retailers while simultaneously opening new
business opportunities.
Leveraging the adaptive security strategies of the right SD-WAN
platform — such as active network monitoring, next-generation firewalls, and
secure payment systems — provides a robust security posture for the digital
age. To ensure their business and data is protected, retailers can add measures
such as multi-factor authentication, multi-layer security, advanced encryption
and automated payment card industry (PCI) compliance tools. Going the extra
mile, they can isolate certain types of application traffic into logical
networks, such as keeping payment data separate from guest WiFi traffic.
Deploying these cybersecurity methods and technologies can help streamline the
digital transformation of even the smallest retailers.
Using Omnichannel Rules To Get Personal
Finally, forward-thinking retailers can emulate the personalized
consumer experience of bigger companies to promote a stronger sense of
community and loyalty. For instance, they can use self-service technologies to
provide a seamless and immersive shopping experience. At the same time, they
can integrate their marketing, selling and relationship-building into a true
omnichannel customer experience that engages customers on all levels.
As stated earlier, shoppers have an insatiable appetite for
personalized experiences. Achieving this level of personalization for smaller
retailers means integrating digital engagement platforms with their physical
stores. Fortunately, SD-WAN provides a flexible platform to quickly roll out
new apps and services that help to deliver an omnichannel shopping experience.
In this case, being small and nimble can empower retailers to react faster to
dynamic customer environments and disruptive market trends.
SD-WAN Can Be A True Business Equalizer
To be clear, smaller retailers still face significant challenges
with rising consumer expectations and increased levels of competition. The good
news is that technology — specifically, a secure SD-WAN platform — can be the
business equalizer they’ve been waiting for.
Investing in the right technology can help them streamline their
digital transformation, increase customer engagement and grow their business.
On the flip side, neglecting to embrace a digital strategy will ultimately
relegate them to continually playing catch-up with the rest of the marketplace.
Michelle Arney is Head of
Product at Cybera, responsible for the product
vision, strategy and roadmap team. Prior to joining Cybera, she spent her
career working with startup and enterprise IT and developer technologies, most
recently at Microsoft where she focused on server, cloud, and emerging technologies. Follow Arney and Cybera at: Twitter, LinkedIn
