How can retailers save on their IT infrastructure?

Purchasing products today is a much broader and more detailed process than before. In addition to involving values ​​and the brand, the evaluation of the companies' services is also taken into account. For supermarkets this is no different, and in this context, having a good IT infrastructure and efficient service management of the technology team becomes an essential strategy to stand out from the competition.

After all, the migration of the retail market to the internet has expanded access to more customers in the digital environment. As a result, keeping production and logistics functional in a supermarket chain generates a lot of effort on a daily basis from IT professionals in controlling flows, managing professionals and the demands that consumers expose in the search for quality products and services.

In this article, we are going to talk about the importance of managing IT services in supermarkets, evaluating costs and ways in which technology can contribute to facilitating this process, maintaining its quality and increasing business performance.

Good reading!

IT infrastructure management in supermarkets

Today's consumer profile is a customer who is hyperconnected. In other words, people's routine consumption habits in most parts of the world include internet access, use of mobile devices and applications, price comparison services and product review sites, for example.

To deal with these needs, it is necessary to equip those who work in the supermarket retail trade to be able to offer customers quick, uncomplicated, intuitive access and good communication .

The efficiency of managing IT services and infrastructure therefore includes not only the focus on the client, but on the entire team of professionals who will ensure the efficiency of operations, in the face of all this complexity.

Here are some of those supports:

1) Channel integration (Omnichannel)

The goal of omnichannel is to offer a consistent and unified experience for the customer throughout the entire purchase journey, allowing them to move between different channels without friction.

Depending on the customer's profile, he can search prices digitally and make a physical purchase, for example, or the other way around.

Thus, integrating physical and virtual stores is a resource that brings more convenience.

In this context, the infrastructure must be constantly improved to avoid bugs or problems in the transactions , preventing the consumer from having a bad experience, as would be the case, for example, of a purchase that was made virtually, but that there is no longer availability of the respective product in the physical store.

2) Payment Methods

And when it comes to making the payment, the more options available, the greater the chances of pleasing the customer in your supermarket.

Innovation in payment methods guarantees more security for the consumer , using apps and purchases by credit and debit card or even pix. All this generates convenience for the customer, who can choose the payment method that is best for him.

Digital payments made by approaching a cell phone, using apps from banks and digital wallets, smart watches with apps, payment by QR Code, payment with a camera or automatic transaction are trends that are gaining more and more adherence.

3) Information security

It is not today that companies have suffered from hacker attacks. In 2020, a supermarket chain in Sweden had to close its nearly 800 stores after a cyberattack that paralyzed cashiers.

However, you shouldn't be less reassured because the cyber attack was abroad. According to IDC data from 2022, IT security is the No. 1 priority for IT executives in Brazil according to 53.6% of companies.

In the survey, it is possible to identify that from small to large entrepreneurs, everyone is being targeted by hackers, especially those who still do not have active data security practices in their business.

Is it possible to reduce IT infrastructure costs without losing quality in processes?

Yea! The management of IT services and infrastructure is a one-way street for small, medium or large businesses that are looking to grow even more and bring security to their services.

Listen to the third episode of the Sky.One podcast and understand how the cloud can be an ally to reduce costs in companies!

Sky.Cast #3: Cloud Economy

Here are some tips to reduce your IT infrastructure costs and keep your business on the rise: 

1) Invest in Digital Transformation

According to surveys carried out by the Sociedade Brasileira de Varejo e Consumo (SBVC), the supermarket sector has been one of the most affected by thefts, robberies and operational declines in almost 2% of revenues, and the poor management of resources focused on security is the main reason .

As a solution, many managers have adhered to automated management systems to gain more control of all stages of sales production and even improve the relationship with the consumer. In the survey, we see that this type of integration innovation in different areas, with real-time information can generate savings of more than 80% for those who work in the retail trade .

2) Process automation

It is a process that removes excessive attention from employees in the production of activities and ensures improvement in production time, more agility and technological control.

Tools, such as inventory and cash control, for example, are capable of accelerating your company's processes , without the need to make large investments and still bring several benefits to your day-to-day life, such as:

• centralize company information;
• minimize service failures;
• reduce spending on IT infrastructure and staff.

3) Optimization of IT services

Normally, supermarkets that opt ​​for an outsourcing service for operational optimization rely on quality results , as they have in their hands actions aligned with the specific needs of the business.

The logic is that a group of external specialists can streamline many of the internal processes, without the need to replace the internal team, which will be 100% focused on the most strategic demands.

In addition, the majority of operational processes remain with the partner, allowing your internal team's resources and time to be directed to the most essential areas of the business.

4) Migration to the cloud

Entire supermarket chains that choose to migrate their IT infrastructure to the cloud eliminate the daily need for downloads, manual backups, installations, maintenance and updates of software and hardware in their domains .

In addition, the cloud today is one of the safest solutions for storing confidential company information.

No wonder the use of the cloud is growing every day. During the pandemic, with the need to establish social isolation to stop the spread of the virus, cloud computing was one of the technologies that made it possible for many businesses to keep running.

A study released by Veritas Technologies in 2020 points out that 47% of respondents characterize the current state of their company's infrastructure between public cloud and data center. In Brazil, the number is even higher: 58%. And the future is quite promising: more than 70% would like to run their applications on public cloud infrastructure – among Brazilians, the number is 68%, similar to the global average.

Sky.One brings another interesting data, which shows that Sky.One Brazilian companies that migrated to the cloud are small , with a maximum of 50 employees. This shows that technology is being advantageous for all.

Innovate retail cost-effectively and efficiently by migrating to the cloud

Agility – Having IT infrastructure in the cloud speeds up file access and sharing, with efficient search engines, good cybersecurity practices and effective support from cloud experts.

Security – data systems in the cloud are controlled by cryptography and firewalls that do not allow access by unauthorized persons, allowing the management of IT services in a secure way for the company and the customer.

Support – being in the cloud, the system can undergo online maintenance, without the need to hire a specific IT team for this purpose.

Updating – the integrated system with other supports constantly undergoes improvements to improve user access and ensures more competitiveness in the market.

Auto.Sky : a solution to bring cost predictability and optimize IT infrastructure with the pace of retail

The purpose of the tool is to boost market innovation and modify the use of information technologies, reducing costs with projects planned in a unique way for each company. 

In addition, Auto.Sky eliminates resources that are not being used. This mechanism ensures the best use of the cloud, reducing costs when compared to static deployments .

With a complete cloud service, Auto.Sky has three different solutions that can offer what your company needs. Are they:

• Auto.Sky Platform : is the solution that migrates data and applications from your local server to the cloud, operating with fast and transparent scalability and payment per user.
• Auto.Sky Services : for those who are already present in the cloud, this is the solution that works to optimize your costs. Support and management of environments and migration of workloads.
• Auto.Sky Business One : migrates SAP Business One ( company management software

We invite you to discover Auto.Sky , Sky One's technological platform that takes your business to the cloud with efficiency, performance and cost reduction.

If you still have any questions about IT infrastructure, IT operation or details of how Auto.Sky , don't waste time and talk to one of our experts !