Retail Digital Infrastructure, Security, and Loss Prevention: Hot Topics and Tech Trends from NRF 2024

This IDC Perspective highlights the key takeaways from the National Retail Federation (NRF) Big Show 2024 focused on the strategic importance of modernized digital infrastructure technologies in overcoming key challenges that retailers face today. The report highlights a common underlying theme across a wide range of vendors and solutions on the importance of upgraded digital infrastructure for enabling AI-driven applications, optimizing omni-channel retailing, and improving loss prevention and cybersecurity. The content also emphasizes the rising use of edge computing for a wide range of benefits in omni-channel retailing and the greater use of AI for proactive loss prevention. The report discusses how modernized digital infrastructure can help retailers gain a competitive edge and achieve greater success in the current retail environment."We saw a variety of next-gen solutions unveiled at NRF 2024 that rely on upgraded digital infrastructure technologies, including cloud, edge, data integration, next-gen networking and security, to enable better retail outcomes, " says Margot Juros, research director, Worldwide Retail Technology Strategies, IDC. "There was new focus on the benefits of modern digital infrastructure in improving customer experience and personalization as well as improving retailers' agility, security, and ability to draw real-time, AI-enabled data insights for better business outcomes," she adds.