IoT will Fundamentally Change eCommerce
The Internet of Things (IoT) is changing the way comsumers shop online, and businesses are scrambling to figure out how to use consumpers' 24/7 interconnectivity to their advantage. The advent of Internet of Things (IoT) devices has brought with it a corresponding shift in the ecommerce space as consumer lifestyles keep changing and becoming more adaptive.
If you have a digital assistant device in your home, that’s part of the IoT. The thing that makes IoT different is that the devices are communicating with each other directly.
1. Better tracking and logistics
GPS and RFID reader are cloud based technologies that provide the online store owners with data like identity of the personnel involved, traffic conditions, location, weather etc. This makes Logistics Management a lot more efficient. It can also help automate the shipping and delivery processes so there are no problems related to missing shipments. Apart from these features, one can also supervise features like speed of the vehicle and temperature. Needless to say, smooth delivery process brings a lot of customer satisfaction as the vehicle routes are optimized.
2. Automated management of inventory
Ecommerce retailers like having control over the items going out and coming in of their warehouses to know what is in and out of stock.
With such tools as IoT sensors and RFID tags installed in inventory systems, business operations can be much easier, plus retailers need not hire store managers to physically check merchandise as they get real time information on their stock.
3. Intelligent Supermarkets
With Amazon Go introducing automatic checkouts, buying processes have become automated. One can just walk in, purchase and walk out with the amount billed to their mobile phones. Future will witness predictive systems that know when the customers leave for shopping and the products will get packed ready to be picked up based on the list they send to the vending machines. Fancy a sandwich? Send the details about the ingredients directly to the vending machine and collect it from the drive through while leaving for work. This concept will be adopted by several popular food chains.
As much as there's growth in ecommerce owing to the emergence of IoT technologies, there are definitely some challenges that come with it, but these six opportunities make it worth the while.
If you have a digital assistant device in your home, that’s part of the IoT. The thing that makes IoT different is that the devices are communicating with each other directly.
How to Use the Internet of Things to Grow Your Ecommerce Business?
1. Better tracking and logistics
GPS and RFID reader are cloud based technologies that provide the online store owners with data like identity of the personnel involved, traffic conditions, location, weather etc. This makes Logistics Management a lot more efficient. It can also help automate the shipping and delivery processes so there are no problems related to missing shipments. Apart from these features, one can also supervise features like speed of the vehicle and temperature. Needless to say, smooth delivery process brings a lot of customer satisfaction as the vehicle routes are optimized.
2. Automated management of inventory
Ecommerce retailers like having control over the items going out and coming in of their warehouses to know what is in and out of stock.
With such tools as IoT sensors and RFID tags installed in inventory systems, business operations can be much easier, plus retailers need not hire store managers to physically check merchandise as they get real time information on their stock.
3. Intelligent Supermarkets
With Amazon Go introducing automatic checkouts, buying processes have become automated. One can just walk in, purchase and walk out with the amount billed to their mobile phones. Future will witness predictive systems that know when the customers leave for shopping and the products will get packed ready to be picked up based on the list they send to the vending machines. Fancy a sandwich? Send the details about the ingredients directly to the vending machine and collect it from the drive through while leaving for work. This concept will be adopted by several popular food chains.
As much as there's growth in ecommerce owing to the emergence of IoT technologies, there are definitely some challenges that come with it, but these six opportunities make it worth the while.
