Benefits of SD-WAN for retail

Over the last decade there has been a dramatic change in what customers expect from retailers. The driving force of this change is that customers now expect, and will seek out, retailers that can provide them with a seamless and digitally integrated experiences. To meet these expectations, retailers are implementing technologies such as in-store Wi-Fi, mobile check out, digital kiosks and signage, smart cameras and advanced point of sale (POS) systems. Retailers are looking for cost effective solutions that will provide them with the connectivity and bandwidth needed to support current and future technology.

The cost of traditional networks continues to increase year-over-year. SD-WAN is a cost-effective solution that applies software-defined networking (SDN) to WAN connections providing the connectivity, bandwidth and flexibility required to help businesses implement customer centric technology and provides the ability to grow with future trends.

Benefits of SD-WAN include:

• Meet growing bandwidth needs for diverse Wi-Fi user experiences, application access, digital signage with audio and video content, and kiosks
• Supports cloud migration and digital integration to create online, mobile, and in-store options for customers
• Insight into customer behavior through real-time analytics for merchandising and marketing
• Secure access to business-critical applications across the network
• Increased business flexibility, agility, and responsiveness with every location connected to head office
• Cost savings through an increase in application performance and a decrease in network hardware and circuit costs

There are several providers of SD-WAN hardware with some providing a managed solution. Choosing a managed solution will free up valuable resources to work on other areas of the business. Once a managed solution is in place, there are data analytic options available to start analyzing the data that guest Wi-Fi, POS and smart cameras provide. This data is the start to understanding your customers and creating unique and personalized experiences for them. This is the competitive edge that retailers need to remain relevant and succeed in the future.

Stay tuned for my next blog that takes a deeper look at how to create unique and personalized customer experiences by using the analytics that an SD-WAN/Wi-Fi solution can provide.  

At ISM Canada, we are vendor agnostic and provide an end to end managed service, creating a solution that is the right fit for your business. Contact us today to find out more!

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