Wednesday 24 January 2024 │ 18:30-21:30 GMT │ Amazonico

2023 was a year of rapid technological change for many businesses as they rapidly started to trial and adopt generative AI. But it was also a year of huge global uncertainty affecting the world’s economies and supply chains. For the retail and CPG sectors in 2024, we will see current trends around sustainability continue and an introduction of new technologies, including a more targeted application of generative AI, to provide a hyper-tailored experience to different generations of shopper, as well as the spread of the check-out free retail experience. In addition, brands will continue to work on new and innovative packaging to reduce plastic waste and carbon footprints in order to meet the values of their environmentally conscious consumers.

In recent years, we have seen big retail and CPG players adopt the latest AI innovations to improve customer experience and improve sustainability practices, and we expect these trends will continue throughout 2024 and beyond. From incorporating tech in retail outlets to creating phygital stores, using generative AI to fight fraud, and working across their ecosystems to achieve ESG targets, to providing better customer service and a more seamless shopping experience, the retail and CPG sectors will be at the forefront of innovation in the next year. Those retailers and CPG organisations which take a pragmatic approach to incorporating these trends and consumer demands, whilst modernising their current IT infrastructure, are expected to generate sustainable benefits, drive higher profits, build more valuable customer relationships and protect the bottom line for their brands. Choosing the right partners to advise, implement and support their operations in this journey will provide them to stay ahead of the competition in the currently challenging economic climate.