Top Retail Digital Investment Strategies | Market Insights™
May 3, 2018
Top technologies / focus areas and their impact on retail
Top technologies / focus areas and their impact on retail
A large proportion of retailers are ignoring the threat from cyber attacks; they need to invest in data security to gain customer trust
Innovation builds a strong base over which digital investments in technology and talent enable development and execution of the right customer strategy. Retailers should focus on four key data strategies to propel business growth.
The growing importance of data & analytics has led to the evolution of the Chief Data Officer (CDO) role
Digital Pinnacle Enterprises™ – the best digitally performing retail organizations – differentiate from the rest in four key areas
Demands of the next-generation investor
Now that we’ve put the finishing touches on our first-of-its kind assessment of enterprise RPA adoption around the globe, we’re seeing a full dismantling of several RPA assumptions and myths.
After surveying enterprises across a wide swath of industries, we have finalized the analysis and are releasing a goldmine of data and insights for enterprises looking to take a confident step forward in their journey toward Pinnacle RPA status. While the full results are laid out in our Enterprise RPA adoption | Pinnacle Model™ Analysis for 2018, I want to provide an overview of some of the findings here that I think you’ll find interesting.
Enterprise RPA adoption is not a trend for big organizations in certain industries to pursue while smaller players maintain the status quo. Stagnation is a recipe for complete disaster in the industry’s rotation to digital. In our research, we’ve found that all types and sizes of enterprises are adopting RPA. This includes both top-down adoption across the org to improve overall speed to impact and bottom-up adoption where segments of orgs are adopting RPA to optimize specific processes. Regardless of size and type, enterprises are going all-in and getting results.
So, what happens if you’re not a part of that? Well, you can imagine the way Toys ‘R Us execs felt when they realized they were about to watch the titan enterprise enter into complete oblivion. Part of that is due to a failure to transform the model in the age of digital transformation. Enterprises that are not thinking in the direction of some level of enterprise RPA adoption are in danger of charting a course to that same end. The takeaway here is clear: adopt or be disrupted.
RPA Pinnacle Enterprises exceed others in the three critical areas of cost impact, operational impact and business impact. Statistically, they have seen a 50% improvement in operational impact alone. Those enterprises not at the Pinnacle level, but who are still adopting RPA, have seen a 30% improvement.
So the news for all enterprises moving along the RPA adoption curve is either good or great – there is really no bad news here. This is a fascinating and important statistic for all enterprises, and warning of what’s to be missed out on for those on the sidelines of adoption.
Automation is soon to be a driving factor for sweeping job losses across all industries. While that’s great fodder for headlines, blog titles, and social media clicks, the actual enterprises we’re talking to aren’t singing that song at all. I talk about this more in a recent blog, The Robots are Coming – Should You Fear or Welcome Them, but in essence, enterprises are talking about reskilling, upskilling, and enhanced training; they’re not talking about eradication of the human element.
As you might have heard, in the midst of this rotation to digital across all industries, we’re actually experiencing a labor shortage in the United States and Europe. We’re just not seeing it in the headlines.
Instead of the comparison to Skynet or some other Terminator-related theme, a better comparison for RPA and jobs is one that involves our actual history. When you review what happened in the industrial revolution, you don’t find the entire workforce replaced by machines (Of course, individuals were impacted at various levels). Instead, you find massive reskilling and upskilling so that the new technology can complement and improve human effort – AND by improving productivity, allow our companies to continue to grow even in the face of a labor shortage. That’s much more along the lines of what enterprises are discussing, planning, and doing. Unfortunately, news like that doesn’t make the cut for trending stories.
Many more in-depth details about these enterprise RPA trends are laid out in our Pinnacle Model analyses. Moreover, this research is brimming with data-packed analysis on what is truly differentiating Pinnacle RPA enterprises from the rest of the pack. The kind of analysis that all enterprises are clamoring for as they determine where they are on their journey to Pinnacle, and decide what the next best steps should be. We also hosted a webinar on April 12 that dispels popular myths surrounding RPA using our fact-based analysis from the RPA Pinnacle Model study. Watch the webinar replay.
Please contact us with any questions you may have about our Pinnacle Model analyses, or reach me directly at [email protected].
You might recall, back in December we identified digital agility as a key 2018 initiative. In that blog, we discussed how you can create business value by making things easy, reliable, and fast for your customers. The question I would ask GIC organizations for 2018: In realizing that goal, are you part of the problem? Or are you part of the solution?
Our research, Digital Maturity in GICs | Pinnacle Model™ Assessment 2018, seeks to answer those questions.
Most GICs started small and expanded over time as they proved their value. Now that most GICs have realized the fundamental benefits of labor savings, quality and process improvement, and – in some cases – business outcome improvement, it’s time for them to look to their next act.
Our central thesis is that a GIC can be a critical driver in building and running new digital competencies. But we want to hear from you about the functions and processes that are getting the most attention and investment. Which digital technologies are you focusing their efforts on? And what capabilities did you deploy to build out these capabilities?
There are plenty of digital surveys that you can participate in, so – why Everest Group’s? Because we take a different approach that results in more meaningful, useful outputs. Our Pinnacle Model™ approach asks questions about what the very best GICs are doing in terms of real impact and then correlate the capabilities required to achieve those results. And we go beyond the online survey, talking with some respondents to understand their journeys – what worked and what didn’t.
With that information in hand, we identify a set of Pinnacle Practices™ that you can consider deploying in your GIC.
Yes, there is a ton of hype around digital; let’s get beyond the headlines and talk outcomes and practices in your GIC.
Earlier this week, we announced our new Pinnacle ModelTM analyses, which provide deep research on the capabilities top-performing companies have leveraged, and the journey they’ve taken, to become the crème de la crème.
Now, to sate your bated breath, here are the results of our first analysis on organizations’ adoption of digital strategies and what sets Digital Pinnacle EnterprisesTM apart from their peers.
Many people equate the word “digital” with “technology.” In the consumer world, they might think about the cool new mobile phone they just bought, the home entertainment streaming device that’s on their wish list, or how to carve out the time before the end of the year to turn their abode into a smart home. In a business context, cloud computing, robotics for their factory or their business processes, or a new customer interaction application may come to mind.
But one of the key findings from this analysis is that technology in and of itself isn’t Digital Pinnacle Enterprises’ biggest differentiator. Rather, Digital Pinnacle Enterprises stand out for making a strategic impact through their digital transformation efforts. Their track record for accomplishing business outcomes such as disrupting the industry, improving customer experiences, increasing market share, and launching innovative products and services, were significantly better than their peers.
And the value their digital transformation projects deliver are measurable and quantifiable. For example, as I mentioned in my previous blog, one banking client reduced its customer onboarding process from 16 days to 9 minutes. A retailer reduced its SKU management efforts by 80 percent, while simultaneously improving accuracy. And a software company saw improved invoice processing that reduced direct FTEs by 67 percent, and decreased customer calls to the help desk by 20 percent.
Our analysis showed three key capabilities that Digital Pinnacle Enterprises have leveraged to realize these types of outcomes.
Of course, technology is a required core of any organization’s digital initiative. But those that have reached the pinnacle have focused on the key capabilities required to achieve real, measurable transformation.
I hope this has given you some food for thought on how to elevate your company to a Digital Pinnacle Enterprise. I also hope you’re hungry for more, because over the next few months and quarters we’ll be discussing very specific disruptive digital technologies and other market hot topics in additional Pinnacle Model Analyses. Bring your appetite!
©2023 Everest Global, Inc. Privacy Notice Terms of Use Do Not Sell My Information
"*" indicates required fields
