Opening a retail grocery store requires a precise timeline, as the sooner the store opens, the sooner it generates revenue. Whether the store is built from the ground up or the company remodels an existing retail space, there is a lot of work to build a more modern store to attract more customers. In May 2022, McKinsey & Company published a report that found many grocers and retailers are using in-store technology to improve customer experience, specifically noting that “advanced tech-enabled checkout, talent management, merchandising and replenishment, and store environment maintenance can help the grocery industry create distinctive in-store experiences for customers and reduce costs by as much as 15 to 30 percent.”
With the increasing importance of connectivity and technology infrastructure, investments in these areas is critical. And to keep up with modern technology and provide a better customer experience, the key technology solution of a modern brick-and-mortar grocery store is connectivity and access to the infrastructure that drives it: fiber-optic cable. Fiber-optic cable is what enables stores to use the latest in retail tech including grocery automation services, point-of-sale software, inventory management systems, security systems, and even wallboards and signage.
Implementing connected technology in retail stores aims to improve store operations and provide an enhanced customer experience. This is particularly important for grocery stores with e-commerce components, as cable infrastructure is critical for enabling a seamless shopping experience across all touchpoints, whether customers are shopping in-store or from home.
Like many other businesses, grocery retail relies heavily on cloud-based data storage and processing, rather than on-site or in an enterprise data center. To ensure reliable connectivity to make this processing and transmission of data effective and efficient, grocery stores need bandwidth—cables with the power and capacity to manage today’s real-time retail technologies. The need for reliable connectivity is a key driver in the grocery retail industry today.
Benefits of Connected Retail
- Strengthen customer engagement and loyalty by building a relationship with the brand
- Streamline shopping services, such as self-checkout kiosks, in-store pickup or delivery for items ordered online
- Increase sales with interactive advertisements and screens throughout the store
- Enable customers to access product information via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, allowing them to make informed purchasing decisions
- Improve inventory management capabilities, resulting in better tracking and organization, ultimately increasing sales and profits
Implementing Network Connectivity Solutions
How do you get the necessary bandwidth for a new location to drive connected services while managing pressure to open as soon as possible? Traditionally, the real estate or IT team would call all the carriers in the area, including an incumbent if there is one, and inquire about cable, bandwidth, and access. However, this process is time-consuming and inefficient.
When you partner with UPSTACK, we handle all the details to get your location connected sooner. We have invested in the tools to search and locate available fiber in the vicinity of your store location, thus saving you time. Our vendor-neutral approach ensures that we identify and recommend the optimal solution for your specific location.
Connectivity is essential for any modern grocery retail store to efficiently manage its operations and provide a seamless shopping experience for customers.
