INTELLIGENT TECHNOLOGY: SOFTWARE
Solid foundations for retail with adaptability, data and Artificial Intelligence
Marcelo Sturn, Head of Retail Software, Diebold Nixdorf Brazil on shaping the future of retail with continuously evolving platforms.
Retail is undergoing profound and accelerated change. In a sector long known for innovation, today’ s pace presents an unprecedented challenge: it is no longer enough to adopt the latest novelties; retailers must invest in solutions that stand the test of time and adapt to constant market transformation. Infrastructure and technology must go beyond operational support to act as strategic foundations capable of sustaining dynamic business models and responding swiftly to shifts in consumer behaviour.
This adaptability is especially vital in Brazil, where retail represents a major share of national GDP and employs millions. Technology is central to this evolution, with Artificial Intelligence( AI) becoming a key link between data, people and processes, transforming retail operations end to end.
AI is already delivering tangible results, enhancing both customer experience and operational management. For instance, systems now recognise fresh food without barcodes and automatically verify shopper age for restricted products at self-checkout terminals. These AI-enabled solutions reduce errors, speed up processes and create smoother shopping experiences. rigid, quickly outdated solutions, modular architectures allow continuous evolution. They protect existing investments and enable the gradual addition of new capabilities, enhancing longevity and resilience while reducing costly replacements – a win for both budgets and sustainability.
None of this progress is possible without integration. Connecting systems, including legacy ones, with the Cloud provides a unified, real-time view of operations. This comprehensive visibility strengthens decisionmaking and elevates the consumer experience.
In a country as vast as Brazil, such integration is essential to coordinate multichannel operations, balance inventory and deliver consistent experiences across every touchpoint. Integration links adaptability with intelligence, creating a genuinely efficient ecosystem.
Marcelo Sturn, Head of Retail Software,
Diebold Nixdorf Brazil
This leap in AI is powered by multimodal data – information drawn from sources such as images, sensors and voice. The convergence of these inputs enables deeper analysis, producing insights that optimise operations and reveal consumer behaviour in real time. Behind the scenes, AI drives more accurate demand forecasting, inventory management, customer flow analysis and dynamic pricing, based on historical trends and external factors such as seasonality and marketing campaigns. Turning vast amounts of data into practical intelligence allows retailers to guide decisions, fine-tune processes and achieve greater efficiency across the value chain.
Alongside AI, modular systems mark a major shift in building long-lasting retail infrastructure. Instead of
Brazilian retail now faces a new paradigm: it must meet the demands of customers seeking convenience, agility and transparency, while also optimising processes, controlling costs and embracing sustainable practices. At the same time, it must remain ready for the continuous arrival of new technologies.
Achieving this balance is challenging but possible when retailers build on solid foundations of data, modularity, integration and Artificial Intelligence. The future of retail will not hinge on a single disruptive innovation but on the ability to develop platforms that evolve continuously, matching the market’ s rhythm and anticipating its needs. This is how retailers create truly intelligent operations – by not just reacting to the present but preparing for what comes next. p
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