Rapidly developing smart retail will see three major trends in 2019, including an emphasis on the human side of business, according to CC Liu, secretary general of Asia AIoT Alliance.
Liu stressed that tech development originates from human nature, with all tech designs aimed at providing consumers with greater convenience. Accordingly designers must grasp users' situations well to provide better services. He continued that Amazon unmanned stores, for instance, allow consumers to take things from the store without having to pay at the counter.
The second trend is creating more convenient UI (user interface) and more friendly UX (user experience) to facilitate purchases, Liu said, adding that based on consumer psychology, consuming is quite an impulsive behavior and therefore how to shorten the transaction process will be crucial for further upgrades in smart retail operations.
The third trend is that smart retail will entail AI as the core. Liu said that AI is not almighty but serve as a helper to decision making. AI can be utilized to analyze big data to provide references for managers in handling distribution, pricing, marketing and new product development, while also further predicting market trends and facilitating customized services, according to Liu.
Asia AIoT Alliance Secretary General CC Liu
Photo: Yihan Li, Digitimes, November 2018
