Member Article

IT seen as stumbling block in retail space

Only 34% of retailers say their current IT enables an end-to-end omni-channel experience

Research from Zynstra, a retail IT software provider, reveals that current branch IT poses a significant challenge to organisations with a distributed store network. Only 34% of retailers believe their current IT infrastructure completely supports their efforts to deliver an end-to-end omni channel experience. And, fewer than half of retailers feel their current demands are being effectively met by their IT infrastructure, let alone provide a platform for innovative new customer applications.

Unsurprisingly, budgets, keeping systems current and skills shortage were identified as the main challenges in maintaining retail branch IT infrastructure. 55% of respondents said the cost and effort of managing remote IT was their biggest issue, followed by keeping systems up to date, and the lack of in-branch IT skills.

“IT should be powering retail innovation at the edge as much as online – in the physical store the retailer meets the customer face to face,” says Nick East, CEO of Zynstra. “However, what the research shows is that too often current infrastructures are not meeting the demands of the business, and this is reflected in our own experiences with customers across the UK and US. Traditional branch IT infrastructures aren’t delivering the top-line growth opportunities and bottom-line savings that our customers now demand.”

In March 2017, 300 IT managers and C-level professionals were surveyed online by Censuswide. Respondents were drawn from retailers across the US and UK, from companies of all sizes. To read the full research report, click here.

**About Zynstra ** Zynstra is a software company, formed by experienced technology entrepreneurs. The company is committed to delivering highly affordable enterprise-grade IT, which is simple to buy, deploy and use, including its flagship solution that delivers hyperconverged IT for remote and branch offices and small sites, with powerful, intuitive management. As a result of a close working relationship and global agreement with Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), Zynstra’s virtualization and cloud management software is packaged by HPE as a key part of its new ProLiant Easy Connect portfolio. Zynstra is backed by Octopus Ventures, one of Europe’s leading investors in fast-growth companies, focused on backing unusually talented entrepreneurs.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Elise Ivens-Barnes .