Research
30 April 2018
Over the last 6 months our StorIQ Labs team has been researching how AI can help retailers improve in-store execution. We’ve been thinking about the process of designing great collateral and schemes for stores, giving stores clear guidelines to execute, and reviewing compliance against those guidelines.
In many large retailers, this is often a very complex process involving teams from across the business and usually relying on people from marketing, creative, VM and retail ops to work together. And, of course, the field team – Store Managers and Area Managers – have a key role to play too.
We wondered if AI could help improve in-store execution, by making it easier and faster to review in-store standards. What if we could instantly identify those stores that are doing a great job of delivering their brand experience, and those which need support?
There is a huge learning curve with AI, and it’s been fascinating to explore this area, with more than one false start. But we are now at the stage where we have a working prototype that demonstrates some of the core concepts.
At StorIQ we believe that the application of innovative technology to core retail processes can drive huge benefits – so we’ve created StorIQ Labs to explore these opportunities. We’re working on AI, but we’re also experimenting with genetic algorithms to optimise route planning for Area Managers – with productivity savings of up to 30%, this could have a significant impact for retailers managing large portfolios.
If you are retailer or brand owner interested in how AI could help you improve your visual merchandising, in store execution and brand standards – please do get in touch.
