HP Innovation Journal Special Edition: Retail Transformation | Page 6
person—increasing demand for space allocated around
grocery stores for curbside pickups, or online ordering
done ahead for fast casual restaurants that eliminate the
need to wait in a line. And still more customers choose
online purchases and want choices for delivery.
Predicting the future of the retail and hospitality indus-
tries is difficult and inexact. But businesses can anticipate
the fast-paced changes to those landscapes by under-
standing customers through their shopping and purchase
behaviors and deploying technology to improve the
in-store experience to stay at the cutting edge of customer
service. Businesses that are able to do this have a much
better chance of gaining and retaining customers.
ACCOMMODATING FOR TODAY,
PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE
The future of in-store technology in retail and hospitality
means many things to many different businesses. It could
mean extensive mobility and expanded self-service to
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HP Innovation Journal: Retail Transformation
empower customers and speed up transactions, virtual real-
ity to inspire imaginations and entertain customers, or even
augmented reality to enhance product customization.
Whatever your vision of the future, it is critical that the
technology decision you make today must not only deliver a
return on investment, but also be designed with the fore-
thought to adapt to the constant changes to the business
landscape and keep delivering in the long term. Unlike other
products, which need to be updated continuously after as
little as six months, the HP family of long lifecycle point of
sale solutions minimize disruption once implemented, with
devices intended to carry retailers years into the future.
Some businesses have decided how they want to imple-
ment mobile technology. Others know they want to
implement mobile capabilities but haven’t quite decided
what it will look like. A convertible retail system like the
HP Engage Go—which can remain fixed or be undocked
by an associate for mobile use—offers businesses the best