This report was authored by Juniper Research Ltd and published in September 2020. A review of technologies to improve the operations of a retail store to be more competitive with online sales was undertaken.  The technologies included: smart checkout (faster checkout), smart mirrors [not explained], beacons using Bluetooth (to help the customer find a specific product in the store), RFID (electronic tags with product data read wirelessly at a short range for inventory management), and robotics. The use of AI (artificial intelligence) is discussed for improving the customer experience.  Smart checkout technology was a $2-billion market in 2020 and is expected to reach $387 billion by 2025.
Key words: artificial intelligence (AI), communications, controls/sensors, identification systems, robotics