Understanding the wave before it hits: Converging digital and physical CX with edge computing
Mobile technologies
In most instances, mobile technologies are paramount to implementing intelligent edge computing for better customer experiences. These technologies facilitate the amalgamation of digital and physical interactions in retail so frequently they’re practically synonymous with edge deployments in this industry. Smartphones, their sensor data, Wi-Fi, and retailer apps are implicit to most edge use cases discussed herein. Retailer apps serve multiple purposes because “if I can get you to download a phone app, then you use that at any location you walk into and I get more feedback and I can connect you to a profile,” Long observed. “That makes facial recognition a lot less necessary.” Moreover, those apps and their customer profiles fuel digital billboards, way finding, smart price tags, and machine learning-based customer segmentation.
The networking involved in onsite processing and implementing protocols such as Wi-Fi is another consideration for deploying mobile technologies at the edge. Software-defined WAN and LAN options enable retailers to prioritize data streams for needs such as customer transactions, machine learning analytics, and Wi-Fi. They’re suitable for what Allee termed “plug and play for the rapid deployment of technology” related to IoT. These software-defined networks let organizations stratify data streams for micro-segmentation so critical consumer data doesn’t have to mix with an organization’s heating system or refrigeration data, for example, Allee said. Compartmentalizing these streams reinforces edge security.
Consumer satisfaction
The blending of the digital and physical experiences is as inexorable as this phenomenon is horizontal. Edge computing is the gateway for this confluence in which each respective experience enhances the other for increased customer satisfaction and data-driven profits. The data management demands of this approach require the timely aggregation of customer, product, location, and digital asset data. Organizations embracing the digital disruption’s impact on the offline world will reap the pecuniary benefits of knowing, understanding, and satisfying their customers—in a way their competitors can’t. Moreover, they’ll attain matchless competitive advantage by “understanding the wave before it hits and what data they need to drive these experiences,” Long reflected.