CKHIOD Insights | Retail

As retailers face a challenging future, smart building management could help the sector make significant cost savings. Managing everything from utility bills to energy consumption is an opportunity for retailers to monitor and control their buildings' electrical and mechanical equipment and gain valuable actionable insights.

Numerous systems feed into the management of a single building: lighting; electrical power; heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC); access control, and more. Retailers often need to manage multiple locations including offices, stores and warehouses, increasing the challenge of effectively monitoring all of these systems. But not having control of these systems is costly: inefficient energy usage alone is costing UK businesses as much as £60 million per year in unnecessary costs, according to a Green Alliance 2020 study.

The digital signage market is poised for substantial growth in the next five years with the retail sector leading the charge in adopting this technology. We chat with digital signage, marketing technology and retail experts Harry Horn of Scala and parent companySTRATACACHE, and Marco Salvetti of CKH IOD to find out how digital signage is changing the face of retail and what impact the technology will have.

Never before have consumers turned to the online channel for shopping as much as they do today. With retailers suddenly needing to cater for much heavier volumes online, it raises new questions about how successful a retail organisation is at delivering omni-channel customer service which is centered on the customer's need.

Companies know that the initial measures they implemented as a tactical response to the crisis of 2020 must now mature into something more sustainable. Many enterprises are now looking at how they can sustain working-from-home in the long-term and begin a phased reopening of offices and retail locations.

Digital transformation and the drive to deliver closer integration between online and off-line shopping was already a clear challenge for fast-moving consumer goods companies. But the unexpected crisis of 2020 has posed even greater difficulties, and companies are planning now how to adapt. It’s more important than ever to recognise how data, specifically mobility data, can guide business decisions.

By 2025 there will be 42 billion connected IoT devices generating almost 80 zettabytes of data. But what benefits are enterprises gaining from these connected devices and all of that data? As we enter into a new decade, Tom Gardner, Head of IoT & MVNO at CKHIOD outlines how IoT is making an impact in the retail, transport and utilities sectors.

This article is also available in Italian / Questo articolo è disponibile in Italiano.

Retail is in the middle of a seismic shift. Bricks and mortar stores are disappearing from the high street as consumers continue to transition to digital channels: by 2021, online shopping is expected to account for 17.5% of global retail sales. In the third blog of our Digital Transformation Challenge series, we look at how CKH Innovations Opportunities Development is helping savvy retailers embrace technology to create the seamless customer journey consumers are craving.

This article is also available in Italian / Questo articolo è disponibile in Italiano.

The past couple of years have been dominated by talk of digital transformation. From keynote speeches to boardroom meetings, it's been a recurring topic. But for all this talk, implementing digital transformation, particularly on an organisation-wide scale, has been a slow burner. In this Digital Transformation Challenge series of blog posts we'll take a closer look at how CKH Innovation Opportunities Development's joined-up approach is helping organisations overcome the digital transformation challenge.

Today’s consumers expect personalised services and products that suit their individual situations and needs. They are also starting to expect meaningful and contextual interactions through their preferred digital channels and devices. For retailers with brick and mortar stores, this means grabbing hold of the opportunities that will drive better engagement, create new sales points and build brand loyalty.