Discover how AI, automation, and shelf digitization are revolutionizing retail, reducing inefficiencies, and boosting profits.
As retailers race to modernize their stores, a new report from Coresight Research reveals a rapidly shifting business landscape beneath their feet, where inefficiencies are eroding profits.
Most hurt are smaller retailers and brands. What exactly is store intelligence technologies? The report’s authors said they “classify store intelligence technologies as advanced technologies which are powered by automation, computer vision and artificial intelligence and are directed towards improving four key business functions … out-of-stock management, pricing and promotion execution, planogram compliance and allocation and assortment planning.
”The report’s authors found that most companies have moved well past pilot programs, with 60 percent of those polled saying they are now scaling or fully scaling store intelligence technologies, which is a sharp jump from last year’s report. But even as adoption rises, operational pain points persist.
The research said that “retailers reported that 6.4 percent of gross sales is lost due to store inefficiencies,” which is a striking increase that underscores how out‑of‑stocks, pricing errors and planogram lapses continue to impact performance despite new tools in place. The data also showed that larger retailers are pulling ahead, too, widening the maturity gap with smaller competitors who struggle to keep pace.sectors, a figure that continues to climb even as total sales grow more modestly.
Retailers are responding with accelerated investment. Sixty percent are actively funding store intelligence technologies, and many are trying to tackle multiple problems at once. But the report makes clear that sequencing and not just spending determines positive outcomes. It highlights that “many retailers are prioritizing pricing software over foundational technologies such as data and analytics solutions,” a mismatch that can blunt returns and leave core issues unresolved.
The study argues that real transformation begins at the shelf. Technologies that digitize shelf conditions create the real-time visibility needed to power everything else—analytics, inventory management, allocation, pricing and even supplier collaboration. Without that foundation, downstream tools operate on shaky ground. Still, only one-third of retailers polled are currently investing in shelf digitization, even though it unlocks the most value.
The upside is clear. Retailers using store intelligence technologies report an 11 percent lift in customer lifetime value and a 14 percent reduction in frontline labor hours, freeing associates for higher-impact work. As the report puts it, “success will depend less on what retailers invest in and more on how they prioritize and scale those investments,” a reminder that strategy and not speed will define the winners of this next retail era.
WWD and Women's Wear Daily are part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2026 Fairchild Publishing, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Please follow us on Google to support us United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Eating insect-based foods may be easier to stomach than consumers expect, researchers claimTo discover how consumers respond to insect-based foods, researchers from the University of Beira Interior in Portugal measured the brain activity and heart rate of people while they sampled insect…
Read more »
Carriage horse died after eating poisonous plant in Central Park, report findsAccording to the Transport Workers Union of America, the horse, Deniz, was giving a ride near East 90th Street on June 10 when it paused to eat a shrub along the curb. A short time later, the horse collapsed and died.
Read more »
Teen ‘fighting for his life’ after contracting flesh-eating bacteria from swimming in Florida parkAfter swimming at a park, 17-year-old Joziah Thompson initially had just a minor scratch on his leg, before it turned into a medical nightmare.
Read more »
Central Park carriage horse died after eating toxic plant, report saysDeniz died on June 10 after reportedly eating a ‘lethal’ amount of Japanese yew, a toxic plant.
Read more »