Driving retail success with reliable technology solutions
In today’s market, every retailer is asking themselves the same question: How do we grow top-line revenue through increased market share over our competitors, while preserving the bottom-line profit through operational excellence and cost leadership?
Building a future-fit business is critical. Becoming more agile and responsive, driving innovation, and identifying and pursuing growth opportunities are key priorities. With Liquid Intelligent Technologies’ advanced solutions, retailers can effectively adapt and excel amid ongoing economic environmental challenges, a changing consumer environment, and an ever-changing technology environment
The South African Retail Market
South African retail companies face a challenging task amidst tough trading conditions and low optimism about improvement in the short term. They must balance IT budgets between driving growth and transformation strategies and optimising costs associated with running the shop.
The spotlight is on IT leadership to determine where the IT investment needs to be spent. While long-term priorities, especially digital transformation programmes, AI and analytics, and cyber security remain on the board agenda, the challenge for businesses is getting a greater portion of the IT budget into these growth and transformational capabilities.
The challenge is set to get the mix of the investment allocation right between operational improvement, risk mitigation, and investment into new capabilities to enable innovation in retail – ensuring that IT remains both relevant and aligned to current market conditions, while positioning itself as an enabler of business strategies aligned to long term sustainability of revenue and earnings growth.
Digital Dilemmas for Retailers
The IT infrastructure services on which enabling services are built to achieve strategic and transformational goals are a critical foundation. This starts with a network that is operationally stable and resilient, performs consistently to expectation, and is an affordable and predictable cost. Liquid’s extensive range of network services, including satellite-based communications and multi-routing international MPLS services, coupled with dedicated field services teams with a proven track record of implementing and supporting network deployments on time and within budget, ensures that we have the retailers’ boxes ticked.
In the retail sector, several key ICT challenges pose significant hurdles for businesses striving to remain competitive and secure in the digital landscape. It is imperative that the IT infrastructure services keep up as retailers leverage cloud platforms to deliver personalised and seamless shopping experiences across multiple touchpoints, bring services closer to their customers, and gain access to advanced AI tooling and solutions to assist data-driven decisions.
Cyber Security and Data Protection: With the increasing threat of unauthorised access and exploitation, retailers must safeguard customer information, financial data, and trade secrets.
Migration to Cloud Technologies: The transition to cloud technologies presents challenges regarding skills requirements and cost management. Many retailers lack the know-how to effectively architect and manage cloud-based solutions while controlling costs.
Growing Demand for Data Analytics and AI:The demand for advanced data analytics and AI-driven insights adds pressure on retailers to acquire and retain skilled professionals. However, the scarcity of talent and budget constraints further hinder their ability to invest in these areas.
Providing services that deliver the promises of Cloud, while managing the associated risks. From secure onramps to Cloud platforms, cloud advisory services, 24 x 7 real-time monitoring and analysis of both cloud and on-premises IT environments via the Fusion SOC, to Cloud FinOps capabilities, our range of managed cloud and security services ensures peace of mind for the CIO.
Solutions for Retailers
Liquid recognises that IT infrastructure services are critical in running the business and enabling services built on top of the infrastructure to achieve strategic and transformational goals. We understand that a reliable and efficient IT backbone is essential for retailers to maintain operations and deliver value-added services to their customers.
Liquid offers a comprehensive suite of solutions tailored for the retail sector, addressing key needs from store connectivity to strategic data management. We leverage our robust digital infrastructure, which includes a world-class network, cutting-edge datacentres, efficient backup power solutions, robust telephony platforms, and fintech offerings to provide holistic services tailored to retailers.
Liquid continuously invests in developing the skills and capabilities needed to excel in providing services within our core business proposition – Connectivity, Cloud, Cyber Security, and Managed Services, cognisant of the key properties required of IT infrastructure it is:
- Ubiquitous
- Secure
- Highly Accessible
- Reliable
- Adapts to new models
Adopting a Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) approach, Liquid Intelligent Technologies remains committed to ensuring we provide effective, cost-friendly solutions. Our strength comes from being able to provide an integrated, best-of-breed offering using the assets of Liquid Intelligent Technologies at our disposal, providing a distinctive value proposition in terms of both productivity and efficiency.
Recognising that digital infrastructure is the foundation of retail operations, Liquid ensures that retailers can focus their resources on strategic growth and transformation, confident in the reliability and scalability of our IT solutions.
As Liquid Intelligent Technologies, we strive to make a difference in our customers’ lives. We exist to deliver a superior customer experience that starts with a strong service mentality. We treat each business as if it were our own. We are courageous enough to reinvent and grow. We are dynamic and responsive to the market.
