A recent survey by RetailWire and Brain Corp revealed that, due to the pandemic, the retail industry is expected to adopt new robotic technology in the next few years.
Indeed, the post-pandemic marketplace is due to witness the growing significance of robotic automation technology. According to the study, 64% of retailers think it is important to have a clear, executable, and budgeted robotics automation strategy in place in 2021.
Moreover, nearly half of the respondents stated they will be involved with an in-store robotics project within the next 18 months, while 73% of large retailers declared that having robots in warehouses or distribution centers is becoming more and more important. This shift towards automation can also be credited to the need to have a safer and cleaner store for shoppers, improve on-shelf inventory availability, as well as embrace social distancing.
The study also revealed that retailers are looking to use robotic solutions for in-store functions such as automating tasks and collecting environmental data for improving customer experiences. Hence, we are expected to see a rise in robotic applications for scanning shelves for stockouts, order picking, delivering goods from the back warehouse to store shelves, pricing accuracy checks, among others.
The pandemic made retailers realize the importance of robotic automation and they are now looking to accelerate their deployment timelines in order to see the benefits of it.
