With today’s consumer behaviors quickly shifting to adjust to the global pandemic, retailers especially have needed to act fast to offer the best online experiences. And with consumers’ preferences continuing to lean toward e-commerce, investments in modern digitalization have become more important than ever.
Here Matt Laukaitis, global general manager of consumer industries at SAP, talks to WWD about the increased need for intelligent technology in retail, changing needs out of the pandemic, and how SAP is helping retailers adjust.
WWD: How has the pandemic made technology, like the solutions offered by SAP, even more, vital for retailers?
Matt Laukaitis: The pandemic has made intelligent technologies essential for retailers. Retail brands are facing increased pressure to invest in innovative business models and new ways of creating value for their ecosystem, especially as consumers call for purpose-driven retail and expectations of experience reach new levels. In October, SAP announced the industry cloud offering for retail. Industry cloud solutions for the retail industry include, for example, leveraging machine learning algorithms to help consumers have the best experience no matter how they choose to interact with the retailer’s brand while helping the retailer serve that experience in the most efficient way possible. 

Matt Laukaitis, global general

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