Cisco says one in five retailers use the technology to improve communication and response to customer demand

Cisco says one in five retailers use the technology to improve communication and response to customer demand

New research commissioned by Cisco has revealed that one in five (21%) of retail professionals are already using video collaboration technology in their business.

Reported benefits of video use in the UK retail market included improved communication between stores and warehouses (cited by 41%), better response to customer demand (29%), improved supplier and partner communication (24%), and improved stock management (18%).

The Video Collaboration in Retail report surveyed 125 retail professionals was carried out by research firm Vision Critical, representing worker opinions all the way from the shop floor up to boardroom level on issues including supply management and enhancing customer experience.

Effective remote collaboration

Andy Chew, Cisco UK & Ireland director of sales operations for collaboration, said: “In retail the pressure is on to introduce not just new products but additional vertical services too. Improving the supply chain and reducing the time it takes to bring new products to market is critical. This can only be achieved through close collaboration with suppliers and colleagues to develop allocate and replenish products quickly and efficiently - all of which have been revealed as key outcomes in this research.”

The survey also found nearly all (90%) retail professionals agreed that technology has enabled retailers to bring in new products from around the world more quickly, while familiarity of video collaboration was ranked at 59%, suggesting there is still opportunity to educate the wider industry as to the potential for video technology in retail.

Forming part of future plans

Over one third (40%) of those questioned also said that they recognised the overall benefit that video collaboration could bring to their organisation. And a quarter thought that video collaboration would form part of their organisation’s future plans, with time (22%) and cost savings (17%) seen as the key reason to implement video collaboration technology.

Over 87% of the survey sample said that technology has improved customer service, which has brought benefits across the organisation, including greater efficiencies (90%) and greater profitability (85%).

Chew added: “Historically retailers would have spent a large amount of time and money visiting suppliers in order to add to and enhance product lines. Video collaboration provides the ability to conduct real-time, face-to-face meetings virtually. It is changing the way retailers operate and presents a highly attractive proposition to the retail industry and a significant opportunity for Cisco to educate the market in its merits.”