93% of retailers who took part in the survey Fujitsu said that they have a clearly defined strategy for the introduction of digital technologies. However, this sector of the economy still lags behind others in terms of the volume of implemented IT projects. 

The survey, which was conducted as part of a larger research project Fujitsu, was attended by 189 executives from the retail sector. According to its results, the fear of unsuccessful implementation of digital transformation projects turned out to be a serious obstacle for retailers: 70% of the participants admitted that this circumstance significantly slows down the development of their business. Every fifth respondent (19%) over the past two years has not been able to implement at least one digital transformation project, which on average cost 337 381 euros. In addition, almost a quarter of the participants (23%) have already had to stop implementing digital projects and incur losses of about 182 euros 321.

Despite this state of affairs, the majority of respondents hope for a return on investment and additional benefits from digitalization projects in the next year and a half. 

IT skills are not enough

71% of retail companies agree that at the moment they do not have enough skills to implement IT projects. 69% of respondents are concerned that their companies pay too much attention to the issues of technological change in the process of digital transformation, rather than the skills, processes and behaviors that support it. Although almost half of retailers invest in systems based on the Internet of Things, 73% of them are concerned about their own abilities when implementing new digital technologies, including artificial intelligence.

Most retailers are already working to fix the situation. 87% of the survey participants take measures to provide their employees with free access to IT training and invest in collaboration with third-party technology experts and customers. At the same time, compared to other sectors of the economy, retailers are least interested in joint projects on the implementation of digital innovations with partners: only half of respondents carry out such initiatives.

"Digital transformation is fundamentally changing the entire retail landscape. Meeting the expectations of customers and meeting the dynamics of market development are difficult tasks for many retailers. But they can only be solved by introducing a new way of thinking. Digital transformation is not limited to technology alone. Of course, the right tools are very important, but the right skills and competent partners are also important. If retailers want to succeed, they must learn how to effectively balance four key elements in their business: People, Actions, Collaboration and Technology.

Richard Clarke, Vice President of Global Strategy in the retail sector at Fujitsu

Workflows, profits and business models

The study showed that 35% of retailers have already implemented digital projects, and 38% are in the process of implementing them. More than half of respondents (54%) implement digital tools in their business processes and functional skills. For a third of the survey participants (31%), digital transformation means the transformation of profit-making methods and business models of companies. And 58% of respondents believe that they are creating new digital business processes. However, shady IT is still a problem.: 70% believe that shadow digital projects are the only solution for innovation.

The main engines of progress

For approximately two-thirds (66%) of retailers, customers were the main driving force of digital transformation. 91% note the desire of customers to do business with suppliers that are more developed from the point of view of IT. At the same time, 69% of respondents believe that digital transformation will lead to increased competition. The introduction of digital technologies has a significant impact on the retail sector compared to other sectors of the economy. Three-quarters of retailers said it was impossible to predict who their competitors would be in the next ten years. 86% believe that their ability to change will be critical in the next five years.

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