Retailers talk a lot about innovation. But the real transformation is happening in the unsexy stuff: shelf compliance, price execution, and inventory visibility.
In retail, new technology seems to show up every week—AI-generated ads, virtual try-ons, smart fitting rooms. These tools look exciting and sure get plenty of attention. But for many national retailers, the biggest opportunity isn’t in what’s flashy. It’s in fixing the basics.
While those futuristic tools may turn heads, they rarely solve the day-to-day problems that impact store performance. What often goes unnoticed is the massive cost of everyday inefficiencies–mispriced items, empty shelves, manual tasks, and disconnected systems.
The Hidden Cost of Overlooking the Basics
In 2025, U.S. retailers across sectors like grocery, drugstores, and mass merchandise are losing an average of 5.5% of their revenue due to in-store inefficiencies, according to recent Coresight Research data. That adds up to over $160 billion in lost sales across just five retail sectors.
And it doesn’t stop at revenue. Most U.S. retailers also report losing at least 5% of their operating margin to these same issues. That’s the money left after paying staff, rent, utilities, and inventory. It’s what’s used to fund growth, new hires, or technology upgrades. So when 5% of that margin disappears because of stockouts, incorrect pricing, or inefficiencies at the shelf level, it’s a big deal.
What’s Holding Retailers Back
Despite these costs, only 20% of U.S. retailers have fully scaled store intelligence technologies like real-time shelf scanning, price execution tools, or advanced inventory analytics. That means the majority are either piloting solutions or still relying on outdated systems.
So why the delay?
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- Legacy systems can be hard to integrate with new tech.
- Internal buy-in can be slow, especially across large organizations.
- And many retailers fall into what some call “the never-ending pilot”—trying out tools in a few stores, but never expanding them chain-wide.
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At the same time, many retailers are tempted to spend money on the next big thing—AI assistants, virtual stores, or AR-enhanced shopping. While those tools might have a role, they probably won’t deliver real ROI if the foundation isn’t there.
The Tools That Actually Move the Needle
Let’s talk about the technologies that are delivering results—often without making headlines:
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- Shelf-scanning robots that detect stockouts or misplaced items before they cost a sale
- AI-powered pricing systems that verify price tags in real time
- Inventory tracking tools that reduce overstocking and out-of-stocks
- Planogram compliance tools that ensure products are displayed where and how they should be
- Centralized communication platforms to better align with suppliers
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These tools might not feel futuristic—but they’re producing real outcomes today. In one example from the Coresight report, a grocery retailer reduced out-of-stocks by 50% in one of its highest-volume stores using a shelf-scanning robot. That didn’t just help with product availability—it gave the store team more time to focus on customers.
Laying the Groundwork: Retail Technology Infrastructure
None of these tools work without a solid foundation. You can’t run shelf-scanning robots or real-time analytics on a spotty Wi-Fi network. That’s why infrastructure matters—and it’s an area where operational execution plays a big role in enabling these tools.
Take the example of a national pet retailer we recently supported. They wanted to roll out advanced store technologies across hundreds of locations, including a new phone system, price execution tools, and mobile inventory devices. But their existing wireless infrastructure wasn’t up to the task. Network dead zones, inconsistent bandwidth, and older equipment were causing reliability issues that made these technologies unusable.
We helped them design and deploy a new wireless network across all their stores—one
that could support the current tools and scale for future needs. The rollout included:
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- Upgrading access points for better speed and coverage
- Centralizing device management across all locations
- Testing and tuning each store’s network for its specific layout and product mix
- Redesigning WLAN to ensure coverage standards are met in every corner of the store
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The result? Their teams could now use handheld devices without lag, digital shelf tags stayed synced, and real-time alerts for pricing or inventory issues became actionable. What had once been a tech wishlist became a working system that dramatically improved guest experiences.
This kind of work isn’t flashy. But it’s what makes the flashy stuff possible.
Redefining Innovation in Retail
It’s time to rethink what innovation means in retail.
Innovation doesn’t have to be futuristic. It should be practical, scalable, and measurable. It should solve real problems—like making sure a product is on the right shelf, with the right price, and in the right quantity.
Retailers that get the basics right will be better positioned to adopt more advanced tech later. They’ll have the infrastructure and data pipelines in place. Their teams will trust the tools. Their stores will be ready.
Innovation isn’t just about what’s next. It’s about what works—store by store, shelf by shelf.
Next Steps
The future of retail is about operational readiness.
Retailers don’t need another big idea—they need better execution of the ones they already have. They need pricing systems that work, shelves that stay stocked, and retail technology infrastructure that supports all of it.
There’s nothing boring about solving for those things. In fact, getting the fundamentals right might be the most powerful kind of innovation there is.
If your team is working on the fundamentals or it’s time to take your Proof of Concept to scale, contact us to see how the Worldlink team can help.