Video

A veteran retail executive, Ed shares his take on why “less is more” technology partnerships are what actually move the needle on efficiency, employee productivity, and customer experience.

Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself

My motto is, “Once a retailer, always a retailer.”

I worked in retail for a large part of my life, whether it was in stores, distribution centers, transportation logistics, and then I got into rolling out retail technologies.

When I talk to a CIO, I understand their problems. I understand what their outcomes are, what they’re trying to get to solve that problem, how we can partner together to figure out how to do that, and then bring in the right technology. It might not be AI. It might be some different type of technology.

Q: How should retailers evaluate the potential of new technology?

You need to start with the customers, understanding how we can help that consumer consume. That’s number one. And then number two is how do we help our frontline employee help the consumer to consume?

 By taking that approach, knowing that I’m getting my customers to buy more stuff more quickly, but at the same time, allowing the frontline employee the tools to allow them to do their jobs faster and quicker — before you know it, you have a happy customer, you have a happy employee, and hopefully your sales are going up.

 I just took a pencil and paper out of someone’s hands, and I gave them a mobile device. So it’s an automatic efficiency. It’s an automatic increase in the productivity of that employee. Outcomes. What is the outcome I’m looking for?

Q: What are your thoughts on the potential of AI for retailers?

AI is the shiny new toy. A lot of retailers are using it. They’re not using it well. A lot of retailers have already come out and said, “We have it. We really haven’t figured it out yet, but we have it.” You now have the ability to take AI across every step of that retailer’s environment, whether it’s merchandising, whether it’s employee scheduling, whether it’s transportation logistics.

 Q: Why should retailers be taking a hard look at RFID solutions?

The cost of RFID has gone way down. Back in the day, “Oh, $1 per, I can’t afford that.” Now it’s pennies. I’m sure it’s even less. But being able to use RFID technology for inventory to say that I know there are 100,000 of these products in my store, and every time something is sold, it reduces it — I now have a pure database of what’s in my store.

Q: Why should retailers consider partnering with Stratix? 

I think retailers are focused on let’s figure out how we can do less is more, just to be able to get our costs in line and at the same time being more efficient. But the bottom line is the customer.

 I challenge every retail executive that I know. I’ve been asking them, “Why are you guys doing this yourself?” And they say, “Oh, we took a look at doing this three years ago, and it came back that we could do it cheaper.” Well, let’s go look at it today.

Retailers use third parties in every shape and form — on the finance side, the cafeteria side, food distribution, all these different areas. Now it’s time to take a hard look at using a third party like Stratix to manage your mobility. What we say we can do, we’re executing, we’re delivering, and our customers are happy — and that’s what we want.