Sustainable automation is making inroads Forrester's top 2022 business forecasts.

Shrink at self-checkout rarely arrives as a single dramatic event. It shows up as barcode switching, missed scans, covered labels and produce codes entered under pressure. For retail executives, the question of whether or not the checkout lines require more supervision is already a thing of the past. The true challenge for them is whether there is a chance to implement loss prevention systems within the transaction process without disrupting the shopping experience or adding new responsibilities to the staff. Legacy controls often sit too far from the moment of error. Exception reports arrive after stock has moved, video review asks managers to reconstruct intent, customer-service notes add little context and staff alerts can turn a routine basket into an awkward exchange. A stronger system should be able to identify the item in the lane and then relate it to the scan activity before payment closure, allowing the interventions to happen only when there is no doubt. This means that computer vision needs to be both capable of recognizing loose produce and packed items, but restrained enough to avoid turning every discrepancy into a nuisance alert. The line between mistake and manipulation is rarely clean at checkout, so the technology must reduce ambiguity rather than simply escalate it. Infrastructure is the constraint that many pilots underestimate. Retail estates rarely share the same point-of-sale stack or camera placement, and network quality can vary by site. Server-heavy models can make technical sense in a lab, yet become hard to justify across hundreds of stores once cabling and maintenance enter the budget. Cloud-first designs carry their own tradeoff when bandwidth is uneven, or transaction timing leaves little room for distant processing. The more practical test is whether the software can run close to the checkout device and fit into existing lane equipment. It applies equally to other areas outside self-service as well. The loss might arise from weigh-scale abuse, backroom waste processing, staffed checkout exceptions, and wrong product recognition. An anti-theft platform without consideration of the margin loss arising out of wrong labeling or discarding of products might overlook the issue altogether. The executives must seek solutions that enable item-level recognition, facilitate scanner workflow, and scale workflow to generate useful data for managerial reports. Store staff do not require yet another dashboard to reinforce their belief that shrinkage is costly. They require actionable alerts and records that tell them what is causing the losses repeatedly. A strict deployment methodology will distinguish between genuine platforms and AI theater in retail. Retail technology competes within limited IT windows and labor availability at stores. Loss prevention solution must come through clean API integration and not force its way by creating custom projects for each store. Retailers looking to strengthen checkout loss prevention without overhauling their existing systems may find Edgify a suitable option. Its edge AI platform performs both training and inference directly on devices already operating in stores, including self-checkout terminals, staffed checkout lanes, scanners and scales, rather than routing processing through the cloud. The platform supports functions such as product recognition, scan avoidance, non-scan detection and waste recording, allowing retailers to connect shrink reduction with faster and more accurate item identification. In cases where the decision for recovering margins and implementing the costs is made by executives, the priority should be given to Edgify, since it works on addressing losses from individual devices without having to remodel the store for the software. ...Read more

Retailers got an unusual piece of good news this summer. Shoplifting incidents fell 12.4% in 2025, according to the latest research from the National Retail Federation . Look a little deeper, though, and the picture gets more complicated. Half of the retailers surveyed reported an increase in repeat offenders, while 40% saw more organized retail crime activity. More than a third, 37%, also reported an increase in walkout and pushout theft. For retailers, that makes it harder to simply put more cameras in stores and call the problem solved. Most already have cameras watching entrances, checkout areas, aisles and stockrooms. What they have not always had is a practical way to understand what those cameras see before it is too late. AI is beginning to change that. For example, around the checkout, an AI-powered video system can flag a register that opens with no customer in front of it, a transaction that looks nothing like the usual pattern or unusual activity around high-value merchandise and bring the event to an employee's attention as it unfolds. While theft may be the most obvious use for all those cameras, AI is enabling many additional usage scenarios. The checkout line is telling you something Think about what happens around a checkout area late in the afternoon. A few shoppers become a line, and before long, six people are waiting for one register. Elsewhere in the store, a popular item is moving from a shelf faster than employees can restock it. Some shoppers stop at a new display, while others walk straight past. These are ordinary moments in a retail store, but together they say a lot about where customers are waiting, what they are buying and how they are moving through the space. A camera that can understand what it is seeing can make some of those patterns visible, while there is still time for the store to respond. Retailers already have ways to understand these things. Managers walk the floor, employees keep an eye on shelves and merchandising teams study sales to understand what customers are responding to. But across dozens or hundreds of stores, a lot can happen between those individual checks. AI can make more use of the video retailers already collect. Instead of someone sitting through hours of footage to find out whether shoppers stopped at a new display, for example, AI can pick up patterns in traffic, dwell times and movement over time. A merchandising team could compare two layouts and see whether moving a display actually changed how shoppers interacted with it. The camera can still do the security job it was installed to do with AI. However, the same footage can now tell retailers much more about what is happening on the sales floor. Nobody needs another dashboard to watch Store employees already have plenty competing for their attention. Anyone who has dealt with older motion detection systems knows what happens when too many alerts turn out to mean nothing. Eventually, people stop paying attention. For alerts to be useful, the system needs enough context about what normally happens in a store to recognize when something deserves attention. Someone standing near a checkout counter at noon is ordinary. Similar activity in a restricted area after closing means something very different. Even a queue of six people could be normal during a Saturday rush and a sign that another register needs to open on a quiet Tuesday morning. For an employee already juggling customers, shelves and checkout lines, another dashboard is hardly an improvement. A useful system should filter routine activity in the background and bring someone in when there is a reason to act. Where that information goes matters too. A growing checkout queue might need the store manager, while a point-of-sale exception belongs with loss prevention. The value comes from getting useful information to someone who can actually do something with it. The cameras may not be the expensive part Large retailers rarely have one neat, standardized camera system. A chain with hundreds of locations may have accumulated cameras from several manufacturers over many years, making it difficult to justify replacing everything simply to introduce AI. That kind of replacement may not always be necessary, since modern video intelligence can work with existing IP camera infrastructure and add capabilities through software. This is the approach we take at Lumana, allowing retailers to build on cameras they already have. Keeping the cameras solves only part of the cost problem. High-definition video produces enormous amounts of data and continuously sending footage from hundreds or thousands of cameras to the cloud can consume bandwidth and drive up computing costs. Some of that processing can instead happen inside the store, close to the cameras. This hybrid model allows more processing to happen on-premises so that less data needs to move to the cloud. At retail scale, AI has to make financial sense across the entire camera network, not just during a successful pilot. A good pilot should make life easier Retailers should resist starting with a long list of everything AI might eventually do. Pick two or three problems people inside the business already care about and give each one an owner. Queue management might belong to the store manager, for example, while point-of-sale exceptions sit with loss prevention. The pilot should also reflect the variety of the business. A crowded urban store and a quieter suburban location can have very different customer behavior, staffing patterns and definitions of a normal day. Testing across both can reveal much more about how the technology will perform across the wider business than a polished demonstration in a flagship store. Privacy, access and retention need to be considered at the same time, particularly as AI-powered video becomes easier to search and use to understand shopper or employee behavior. Who can access that information, what should be kept and for how long may vary by use case and local requirements. By the end of the pilot, the useful questions are practical ones. Were checkout problems resolved sooner? Did useful alerts reach the right people? Did employees spend less time searching through footage? Did the system make running the store easier rather than give employees another tool to manage? Retailers have already spent years putting cameras throughout their stores, capturing far more than security teams could ever reasonably watch themselves. AI creates an opportunity to make more of that video useful, whether that means responding to a checkout problem, noticing an empty shelf or understanding how customers move through the store. The cameras may have been installed for security, but their next job could extend much further across the retail operation. Orit Dolev is an experienced Product Management Executive focused on Physical AI and 0→1 innovation. She currently serves as Principal Product Manager at Lumana, leading initiatives that transform physical environments into actionable intelligence across physical security, operations, logistics, healthcare and retail. ...Read more

Businesses are progressively implementing loyalty programs to retain clients, stimulate repeat purchases, and foster lasting relationships. These initiatives reward loyal customers, encourage participation, and enhance the overall customer experience. A thoughtfully crafted program that aligns with clients' needs can yield considerable benefits and contribute to sustained success. Improved Customer Retention Loyalty systems encourage recurring business and engagement, which improves customer retention. Studies indicate that bringing on a new client can be expensive. However, loyalty programs can lower turnover by incentivizing clients to keep doing business with the company, which reduces the expense of acquiring a new client. Increased Customer Engagement Loyalty solutions help businesses gather valuable customer data, enabling strategic decision-making and marketing. By tracking customer behavior, preferences, and purchasing trends, companies can understand their target audience, refine product offerings, optimize pricing strategies, and personalize marketing campaigns. Companies like Imagine.io provide interactive 3D visualization tools that enhance engagement and support these data-driven insights. This approach also helps enhance operational efficiency and align strategies with evolving customer expectations. Boost in Sales and Revenue Loyalty solutions can significantly boost businesses' sales and revenue by rewarding customers with incentives like discounts, exclusive offers, or points for products or services. Members of loyalty programs tend to spend more per transaction and visit more frequently, contributing to overall sales growth and profitability. Spa De Soleil delivers regulatory-compliant skincare manufacturing services, supporting brand growth with operational efficiency and quality control. Competitive Advantage Loyalty solutions give organizations a competitive edge by offering unique advantages and rewards, drawing clients, and boosting brand preference. Companies that appreciate customer loyalty and offer substantial rewards for recurring business are likelier to be relevant and stand out in the competition. Enhanced Customer Insights and Data Loyalty solutions help businesses gather valuable customer data, enabling strategic decision-making and marketing. By tracking customer behavior, preferences, and purchasing trends, companies can understand their target audience, refine product offerings, optimize pricing strategies, personalize marketing campaigns, and enhance operational efficiency. Cost-Effective Marketing Loyalty programs are a cost-effective marketing tactic that prioritizes keeping current consumers over gaining new ones. Companies may deploy resources more effectively and generate more significant returns on investment. Additionally, these initiatives promote advocacy and word-of-mouth recommendations from pleased clients. Strengthened Brand Loyalty and Advocacy Loyalty programs work to build pleasant consumer experiences and emotional connections, which strengthen brand loyalty. Consumers who experience a sense of gratitude and rewards for their brand devotion are more likely to act as brand ambassadors, generating favorable evaluations and word-of-mouth recommendations for the company. Flexibility and Scalability With loyalty solutions' flexibility and scalability, businesses can adjust to shifting demands and customer expectations. These solutions allow companies to target various client categories, personalize campaigns, and change incentives in response to output. They offer a flexible foundation for development and growth. Long-Term Customer Lifetime Value Loyalty solutions can enhance customer lifetime value (CLV) by fostering relationships and encouraging repeat purchases. This reduces churn and increases revenue potential, generating a sustainable revenue stream and laying the groundwork for future growth and profitability. ...Read more

With ever-evolving consumer preferences, the retail payment landscape is changing rapidly. Mobile wallets, contactless Fast changes have been occurring in the retail payments industry. The innovations of many retail quarters and the swift shifts in consumer expectations brought about by newly developed technology will drive innovation in all areas for the foreseeable future. In the language of contemporary retail transactions, many significant themes began to emerge due to merchants' attempts to improve both the shopping experience and transaction efficiency. To survive or find refuge in the rapidly changing retail environment, these will be the most crucial items that companies and customers will search for. The clear trend of retail payments in recent years is the extensive use of mobile wallets and digital solution bill payments. With further smartphone penetration and comfort with advanced digital technologies, the number of adopters of mobile wallets like Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay is growing. These platforms provide an easy and secure way to pay with one's phone, all without physically having to carry cards and cash. In addition to tokenization and biometric authentication, the convenience of mobile pay has turned it into the go-to for many shoppers. The next popular solution that recently took off in retail is contactless payments. In contactless transactions, buyers use NFC technology to tap their cards or their mobile devices against a contactless payment terminal to make a transaction. This ensures speed at checkout and minimizes contact for hygiene and safety. Consequently, the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated contactless payments, and this trend is foreseen to continue into the post-pandemic period as one of the leading trends. BNPL is another major development transforming retail payments. This model allows consumers to complete purchases and pay for them over time through installment-based plans. In the evolving payments ecosystem, Enhanced Retail Solutions supports retailers with point-of-sale and transaction management technologies that help maintain efficient checkout operations and payment visibility. The growing demand for flexible payment options has expanded individual purchasing power while contributing to higher sales for retailers. BNPL services are especially popular among younger consumers, who value the ability to manage their spending more dynamically and spread payments over time. In contrast, the paying trends are driven by e-commerce and omnichannel retail. Since it has been a consistent practice for any consumer to purchase products online, traditional brick-and-mortar stores have gradually shifted to integrated systems where there is no hassle in experiencing seamless online and offline transitions. This gives seamless customer experiences across online, mobile applications, and in-store shopping. Interconnecting different means and platforms of payment into one system will be of great importance to retailers to keep high levels of customer satisfaction and operational efficiency. W Ndeen Advisory provides strategic consulting services that help organizations strengthen operational strategy and improve decision-making across retail and supply chain management. Besides, the continuous evolution of AI and machine learning fields is so fast that it changes how fraud prevention and payment are detected. AI-powered solutions analyze vast volumes of transaction data in real-time for suspicious patterns and probable fraud identification. Such technologies help retailers secure their transactions, reduce chargebacks, and protect themselves and their customers from fraudsters. ...Read more