Study: The most in-demand technology for retailers is…

A new survey confirms what many retailers are already living: getting up to speed with digitally speaking is a priority.



The most in-demand new technology for retailers is mobile payment capabilities (65%), followed by self-checkout (49%), scan as you shop (44%), click and collect (41%) and in-store customer analytics (37%), according to research from Zynstra, a U.K.-based enterprise-grade IT software provider, which polled 300 IT managers and c-level professionals in the retail space across the U.S. and U.K.



When asked about current challenges, U.S.-based respondents cited budget, security and lack of skills most frequently. Cost and effort of managing remote systems was the most identified issue (59%), followed by keeping systems up to date and secure (52%), and a lack of in-branch IT skills (31%).



“In the retail branch (store) IT space, technology is playing an ever-more important role in helping businesses meet both current and future demand; not only from an operational point of view, but also in enhancing the customer experience,” said Nick East, CEO, Zynstra. “However, as the research points out, the application of this technology or the readiness to adopt it can be a challenge.”



An overwhelming 97% of businesses see IT as a strategic business asset, and seven in 10 respondents said IT could enable them to meet future demands, including reducing operating costs, speeding up roll-out of new stores, supporting new business opportunities and streamlining IT management.



Yet, a mere 48% of those surveyed said they had the proper resources, support and infrastructure to meet their current demands.