How artificial intelligence is reshaping the retail industry

Last week, Giovanni shared our journey at EuroCIS, which this year set a record for visitor numbers, demonstrating the growing interest in innovative solutions in retail.

However, as we celebrate the progress made, a question naturally arises: is technological evolution truly living up to the expectations of an increasingly demanding audience?

Technological innovations in retail

Among the topics that caused the biggest stir last year was the opening of the first fully automated supermarket in Italy — a true revolution in the supermarket world, removing checkouts, queues, and barcode scanning. In short, a real innovation!

Yet, at EuroCIS, this technology was absent — perhaps because retailers are still reluctant to invest in cameras, smart shelves, and other technologies to make stores fully automated. Or perhaps the technology is still in its infancy, and we will have to wait a few more years before saying goodbye to queues at the tills.

What is certain is that retailers are asking us for a single software platform capable of addressing these needs:

• Reducing out-of-stock situations to ensure products are always available on the shelves.
• Cutting waste and optimising stock management.
• Speeding up operations and simplifying workflows.
• Eliminating printed paper in favour of digital solutions.
• Optimising transport to improve logistics and distribution.

In this article, we explain how our platform is evolving thanks to new technologies.

Artificial intelligence at EuroCIS

I tried to steer attention away from the hottest topic of recent months — AI — but in the end, I had to give in. At the fair, there were hundreds of stands mentioning artificial intelligence in a wide range of applications:

• Automatic replenishment software: AI can analyse historical sales data, seasonal trends, and other variables to forecast future demand. This helps optimise replenishment orders, reducing waste and ensuring products are always available on the shelves.
• Vision systems and smart checkouts: in the world of smart checkouts, I have to mention the one showcased by Toshiba, which uses AI to simplify the payment process. There is no longer any need to scan barcodes, QR codes, or RFID tags: a smart vision system automatically associates the products placed on the checkout with their SKU, adding them to the basket. While its accuracy and speed are not yet 100% reliable, this technology could revolutionise checkout scanning processes within a few years.
• Shelf monitoring: AI can analyse images from shelf surveillance cameras to detect missing items (out-of-stock) or incorrectly positioned ones (facing). A major help in keeping store shelves well stocked and organised.
• People recognition: AI can be used to recognise customers and authorise the sale of age-restricted products. It can also deliver personalised marketing messages directly at the checkout.

At first glance, it might seem that everyone has already implemented AI in their solutions, but very often, when we asked to experience these innovations first-hand, we were left unconvinced. I therefore expect that, with continuous technological development, we will soon be able to try them out directly in stores. Artificial intelligence is still a relatively new and constantly evolving field, and its applications are growing rapidly. Current knowledge is still limited, so the intense research phases are leading to the creation of the first solutions, which are yet to be consolidated.

Artificial intelligence in Aton: where we stand today 

We are increasingly realising that the added value in implementing AI lies in supporting organisations to genuinely speed up and optimise processes and resources, enabling their people to focus on more engaging and strategic activities.

Here are some of the most interesting applications we have already introduced:

• Chatbot for supporting store operators: this chatbot provides training support and helps resolve technology-related issues quickly and efficiently, ensuring business continuity.
• Tool for collecting unstructured documents from emails, WhatsApp messages, and voice notes. This new tool intelligently gathers and processes documents from various sources, preparing them for entry into the company’s management system, saving considerable time in handling documentation.
• Text recognition from PDFs and images: in this case, AI is used to extract crucial data from documents, making the data available to company systems, streamlining information management, and improving overall efficiency.

By introducing these innovations, we are able to work alongside our clients, contributing to their growth in terms of People and Prosperity.

We look forward to the next Paris Retail Week, ready to share further insights and ideas with our community. See you soon!