Retail Is Evolving Fast—Is Your Sales Strategy Keeping Up?
Sreeram Thiagarajan
IT Sales Director | Driving $25M+ Revenue Growth in IT Services | Expert in Travel, Retail & Technology | GTM Strategy | Enterprise Sales | Closing $5M+ Deals Across Europe | MEDDICC
We’re living through one of the biggest transformations in retail history. The way customers discover, choose, and buy has changed forever. But many IT services teams are still relying on outdated playbooks—leaving millions in potential revenue on the table.
Here’s what I’m seeing in the market right now:
?? Cloud is the New Backbone: Retailers like IKEA are moving to cloud-native platforms to scale faster, simplify operations, and personalize experiences. It’s not just about cost savings anymore—it’s about staying competitive.
?? Data is Driving Hyper-Personalisation: Take Sephora: they use customer data to predict buying behaviors and tailor experiences. The result? Higher engagement and more loyal customers who keep coming back.
?? AI is Revolutionising Customer Experience: From AI-driven chatbots to personalized recommendations, brands like ASOS are using AI to cut return rates and improve margins. The future of retail is deeply data-driven.
?? Real-Time Insights Are a Game-Changer: Waiting for monthly reports is no longer an option. Retailers are turning to real-time analytics to adjust pricing, promotions, and product placement on the fly.
?? AI is Fixing Retail’s Supply Chain Headaches: Empty shelves or excess stock can crush profitability. AI helps brands like Walmart forecast demand with remarkable accuracy—analysing weather, events, and shopping trends. In-store systems, like those at Tesco, use AI to predict replenishment needs, reducing stockouts and improving customer satisfaction.
?? What does this mean for sales leaders? The IT services teams that help their clients adapt to these trends are seeing growth—and setting themselves apart as true strategic partners.
?? Now, I’d love your perspective: What retail trends are you noticing in your conversations with clients? Share your thoughts below—I’ll respond to the most interesting insights!
#RetailInnovation #CloudDataAI #SalesLeadership #GrowthMindset #TechTransformation #SupplyChainAI
I architect execution-driven ecosystems where well-funded, product-first technology organizations scale with precision, resilience, and financial impact.
1 周Sreeram Thiagarajan, You’ve outlined the battlefield—cloud, data, AI, real-time insights—but here’s the real question: If a retailer gets only one of these right, which one dictates survival? Because let’s be honest—retailers don’t fail from missing all four; they collapse from missing the one that matters most. ?? Is it cloud, where scale and flexibility dictate margin survival? ?? Is it data, where predictive precision locks in loyalty and spend? ?? Is it AI, where supply chain failures separate winners from inventory graveyards? ?? Or is it real-time intelligence, where lagging signals turn operational mistakes into irreversible losses? You’ve seen the front lines—what’s the single non-negotiable shift that retail leaders must get right first? The one move that, if ignored, turns the rest into expensive distractions?
CFO | High-pressure turnarounds—helping CEOs of Pharma, Engineering, Manufacturing & Energy firms drive transformation, achieving ￡20M+ in savings through financial analysis, decisive leadership & strategic collaboration
1 周Sreeram Thiagarajan how can retailers strike the right balance between personalisation and data privacy?
I help CEOs at international professional services companies reduce cybersecurity risk by 50% by building global information security programs and transforming IT teams.
1 周Sreeram Thiagarajan Love your posts. Every time I hear AI (and I hear AI all the time) it makes me nervous as a cybersecurity professional. As retailers rely more on real-time analytics and hyper-personalization, what are the biggest cybersecurity blind spots they should be addressing?
I help CTOs at global financial service organisations drive revenue exceeding ￡50m by leading high-performing teams and effectively overseeing complex change and transformation
1 周Sreeram Thiagarajan the amount of phased inbound highly personalised content I get sent to my personal email address is the change I have seen in sales. In your experience, how do organisations best enable this?