Online sellers have delivered blow after blow to brick-and-mortar shops in the “retail apocalypse” of recent years. But new technologies have given retailers a lifeline. In a recent speech, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella reported, “Retailers generate 40 terabytes of data every hour,” and that this is “the most valuable information in the world”—data about consumer interests, intentions, moods and actions. IoT (Internet of Things) technology operating on an edge computing platform can capture and quickly act upon this data, enhancing the customer experience, streamlining store operations and strengthening the bottom line.

Edge Advantages for Retail

The IoT Customer Experience

Shoppers are coming to expect more from brick-and-mortar stores. Some ways stores use IoT to offer an experience that is customized to the shopper and convenient are:

• Mobile apps (beacons) can alert stores when a shopper is nearby, letting the retailer send the shopper a custom coupon in real-time based on their purchasing history.
• Store associates can process transactions anywhere in the store via tablet, helping customers avoid long checkout lines.
• Augmented reality (AR) mirrors in clothing stores let shoppers see what they will look like wearing variations of outfits without having to try all of them on.

IoT for Operations and Logistics

• Inventory: IoT systems intelligently and automatically order inventory and keep shelves stocked based on buying trends and supply logistics.
• In-store Security: Beacons identify shopper locations within a store as well as the items they are carrying.
• Customer Data Compliance: While some data captured at the edge ends up in the cloud, edge servers provide an opportunity to pre-screen or pre-process sensitive customer information to better secure it.
• Smart HVAC: Smart heating and cooling improves comfort and efficiency.

Edge Requirements

IoT devices and software need the right infrastructure to work successfully:

• Near-zero latency for real-time processing and response
• On-premise server functionality (storage and processing)…sometimes in every location
• Robust bandwidth
• Data security

Micro Data Centers for the Edge

Micro data centers (MDCs) make edge infrastructure easier to design, deploy and manage.

• No need to build a data center in or near every store
• Solutions are preconfigured and tested by the manufacturer
• Little or no engineering time for deployment
• No need for on-premise IT staff; solutions are easy to maintain and support remotely
• Solutions are easily customized to meet individual store needs
• MDCs are cost-effective for deploying to multiple locations

Tripp Lite EdgeReady™ Micro Data Centers

Tripp Lite has 40 stock MDCs that ship in as little as three business days, and customized solutions can ship in as little as five days. Our team of data center experts can help you design and quickly deploy the MDC your organization needs.