In today’s increasingly competitive retail market, every technology initiative is pitched as do-or-die. So how do you make smart decisions about which technologies to invest in, to start testing, or to forego? For our annual “The Top Retail Technology Investments In 2019” research, we interviewed more than 40 retail industry professionals to segment the technologies into “hot,” “on the radar,” and “hype” categories. The summary:

Hot (Top Investment Priorities For 2019)

  • Omnichannel
  • Advanced data and analytics
  • Personalization
  • Artificial intelligence (AI)
  • Digital store tech
  • Progressive web apps (PWAs)

 On The Radar (Some Investments)

  • Same-day delivery
  • Social commerce
  • Experience centers
  • Chatbots
  • Subscription services
  • Marketplaces (starting their own)

 Hype (Lowest Investment Priority)

  • Automated checkout
  • Augmented/virtual reality
  • Smart speaker apps
  • Internet of things
  • Robotics
  • Blockchain

Of course, this list is just the tip of the iceberg. Most importantly, retailers need to understand their customers’ pain points and evaluate which solutions will deliver the best ROI.

For more information on why specific technologies sit at the top, the use cases for each, and your next steps, see the full report and listen to our upcoming webinar (which will first broadcast on Wednesday, July 10 from 2–3 p.m. EST and will subsequently be available as a playback).