The 5G Opportunity In The Retail Sector

The retail sector is going through a dramatic transformation. Rather than just selling products, leading retailers are expected to deliver services and experiences. Interactive and ongoing customer engagement during the pre-sales and post-sales stages is the new benchmark to match.

5G promises to support this transformation at several layers — in addition to enhancing supply chain and back-office operations. 5G will speed up the transformation of the retail sector by delivering technology building blocks for frictionless end-to-end experiences.

Key takeaways:

• 5G-enabled augmented, mixed, and virtual reality will alter brand-consumer interactions. 5G-enhanced mobile broadband provides the basis for virtual and remote sales support. Consumers will get better product information during the pre- and post-sale stages.
• 5G-enabled internet-of-things (IoT) services will drive supply-chain optimization. 5G massive, machine-type communications connect myriad IoT sensors for track and trace solutions. In turn, this boosts retail supply chain transparency and efficiency.
• 5G enables many other technologies in the retail sector. 5G is primarily an enabling technology, boosting possibilities for big-data-generated customer insights, virtual and augmented reality services, smart screens, and mobile-cloud services.

Target audience level: all levels

Vendors mentioned: Alibaba, Amazon, Google, NTT DoCoMo, and Telefónica.