1. IoT for stock management
One of the most widespread applications of IoT in retail is stock management. RFID sensors (Radio Frequency Identification) and smart tags allow real-time tracking of products stored in warehouses or displayed on shelves. The advantage: this system prevents stock shortages and waste due to poor management or human error. It also saves a significant amount of time by providing real-time inventory of available products. This essential system for stores also helps combat theft by tracking the journey of products.
2. IoT for ensuring proper storage conditions
Certain goods, particularly in the food or pharmaceutical industries, require specific storage conditions. Temperature and humidity: IoT facilitates monitoring these parameters using 4G-connected sensors placed in warehouses or transport trucks. In case of any anomalies, alerts are triggered to enable managers to intervene promptly by dispatching a technician for maintenance purposes. This valuable advantage ensures compliance with regulations (such as maintaining the cold chain) and prevents losses and waste if stocks are held too long under unsuitable conditions.
3. Saving energy with IoT
Using presence sensors or based on natural light, it is possible to adjust a location’s lighting. Similarly, air conditioning and heating can adapt according to the outside temperature or human presence, providing an optimal temperature while conserving energy when the premises are empty. This common use of IoT is also applied in stores and warehouses to save electricity, act environmentally responsibly, and reduce energy bills.
4. IoT for enhancing store layout
Another unexpected application of IoT is optimizing store layout to improve customer experience. Specifically, LTE-M technology-powered devices such as motion sensors, heat sensors, and smart cameras analyze the most frequented areas and friction zones in the store (such as narrow or crowded passageways). These analyses enable the store to be arranged optimally, by adapting the shelves to customers’ needs and placing promotional products in highly trafficked areas.
Also read : What are the different types of cellular IoT sensors?
5. Ensuring equipment maintenance
Sensors integrated into certain equipment like refrigerators, self-checkout machines, and ventilation systems collect and transmit information about any operational anomalies. This optimal solution allows for anticipating malfunctions before they occur, preventing any interruption or slowdown in activity: all the benefits of predictive maintenance in a single application.
6. With IoT, enter smart fitting rooms
Among IoT applications for retail, smart fitting rooms that enhance customer experience should also be mentioned. Utilizing RFID, these fitting rooms detect the clothes being tried on and, through touch screens, offer personalized recommendations for other models or check the availability of a garment in another size. This application encourages purchases and boosts customer satisfaction by providing tailored assistance. Although this usage is still somewhat rare, it may become more commonplace in the coming years.
7. Connected carts for time-saving and comfort
Still relatively uncommon, connected carts are an emerging IoT application in retail. These carts can, via sensors, record items as they are placed inside. Screens help customers locate products on shelves and pay directly for their purchases. This experience prioritizes autonomy and streamlines store navigation, avoiding long lines at checkout. In the United States, retail giant Amazon has implemented “dash carts” in its supermarkets, a system of smart carts. Customers just need to scan the product using the Amazon app before placing it in the cart, saving a trip to the checkout and precious time.
8. IoT reduces checkout waiting times
Retail stores typically identify off-peak and busy hours, which require the opening of additional registers to accommodate customer flow. IoT, notably through 5G, enables real-time analysis of this foot traffic using presence sensors and can thus signal the need to open a new register or redirect customer flow. An effective way to reduce waiting times and enhance customer experience.
9. Vending machines become interactive
In retail, IoT permeates even vending machines. Gone are the half-empty machines that refuse small change. Vending machines are becoming interactive sales points capable of monitoring their stock levels in real time and sending alerts before a product runs out. Some machines allow contactless payments or even facial recognition (for those installed in corporate environments, for instance) to facilitate identification and offer personalized products based on individual habits.
10. Store windows that adapt to customers
IoT transforms store windows into active sales tools. Depending on the weather, time of day, or the potential consumer’s profile, they adjust their content to better attract attention and maximize sales potential. Other applications allow direct interaction with the window to inquire about prices, different options, available sizes, and colors.
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