Top 7 Use Cases for Robotic Process Automation (RPA) in Retail

Due to the pandemic, the e-commerce sector continued to boom, while the retail sector was severely affected as non-essential shops such as clothing stores or malls were closed. People replaced brick-and-mortar stores with online stores, where they bought groceries, food and other essentials, as well as products that could improve their lives from home. Online sales continue to explode; For example, in the United States alone, their number should double by 2023 and reach 20-25 percent of the entire retail sector. But it also means that the retail industry faces many challenges, as consumer expectations are higher. The main challenges faced by companies are: rising production costs, changing customer behavior, uncertainty in the supply chain industry (changing demand, ability to supply and fulfill all requirements, etc.), adapting to a new technology-dominated context, and the list goes on. RPA can successfully address all of these challenges while increasing efficiency and productivity, improving customer experience and ultimately leading to better business results. In retail, business is based on high-volume, rule-based and repetitive tasks. If until now all these tasks were done manually, it is time to automate them and reap the benefits of RPA implementation. In fact, according to Accenture Automation in Consumer Goods Led Technology, 3% of CPG (consumer packaged goods) managers are already using automation to reduce costs and increase efficiency. Since the pandemic has brought many challenges to the retail industry, with both short and long-term effects, RPA could be the answer to solve them. According to KMPG, the biggest challenges are: Overview of financial stability: the industry depends on the availability of cash, so during a crisis it is very important for businessmen to analyze the financial situation and prioritize the most important expenses by reducing unnecessary costs. for example, renegotiation of leases and refinancing of loans; Managing Demand Fluctuations: At the start of the pandemic, people around the world panicked and emptied stores, leaving retailers to face demand fluctuations; they need to anticipate and manage demand better and faster – and they must do that now; Managing Supply Issues: Supply chain disruptions vary globally; country-specific restrictions can cause delays, so retailers should consider many risks; Protecting employees: This is a long-term aspect that every business owner must pay attention to; the biggest challenge here is to maintain the safety of your employees and the profitability of the company at the same time; Customer Relationship Management: Maintaining customer relationships is even more important during a pandemic when there is a lot of uncertainty; As customer needs have changed dramatically, retailers must adapt and respond to their needs by building trust in their products and services. Robotic process automation can be applied to every business process mentioned below and many more. Workflows can be successfully automated, leading to cost optimization and ultimately increased revenue.

Robotic process automation use cases in retail

1.     Accurate sales reports

Sales analytics is a crucial element when it comes to making business decisions in the retail industry. Software robots can store and analyze large amounts of data and create detailed reports about customer desires and user behaviour. 

This helps companies understand patterns, and find new opportunities to retain customers. Automating the process of reporting and analyzing is crucial for the real-time success of any retailer. Robotic process automation is also useful for forecasting business predictions.

2.     Inventory management

Store layout is the way a retailer places products in the store according to customer preferences – when people can quickly access important products, they are more likely to buy them. Automation could make this process significantly easier – RPA helps analyze the organization of the store to meet the requirements of customers and improve their user experience and increase sales.

3.     Supply and demand planning

This is a very important process for any business person and requires collecting and analyzing a lot of different information about the market, customers or suppliers. Doing this manually is time-consuming and error-prone. The RPA is perfect for these tasks, offering greater accuracy and efficiency. Automating data storage and preparation processes enables managers to effectively plan for demand and supply.

4.     Logistics Management

Retailers rely on logistics partners for their business. From manufacturing to delivering products to customers, there are many business processes to consider: shipping, inventory tracking, order tracking, customer support, and so on—all of which can involve large teams. Software robots could manage these functions faster and without the risk of error by working around the clock. Finally, with the help of RPA, the entire workflow improves and also the relations between all parties are smooth. In addition, HR professionals can focus on more important activities that lead to greater satisfaction because they no longer have to perform daily repetitive tasks.

5.     Better customer experience

In retail, every customer needs ordered products or services quickly and wants them to meet their requirements. So customer support is very important to the success of a business – no one wants negative reviews from unhappy customers. Communication channels dedicated to customers could be effectively automated with the help of software bots, especially in the field of online shopping. RPA can provide 2 /7 support, process order payments, send order status notifications, and also filter customer requests so employees can more easily handle complex issues. This saves a lot of time and money and ensures a better customer experience.

6.     Effective marketing strategy

A strong data marketing strategy is critical for any business. Especially in retail, a lot of data on consumer behavior needs to be analyzed to make the best strategic decisions and respond to customer demand. By collecting and analyzing, marketing professionals can make quick decisions that differentiate their brand from the competition. Robotic process automation used in consumer behavior analysis can provide insight and determine next steps for better customer experiences, from sales promotion to loyalty programs.

7.     ERP Management

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is software systems used to plan and manage processes such as billing, invoicing, pricing, accounts receivable, accounts payable, etc. Automating these functions increases employee efficiency and productivity and saves costs. For example, as a UiPath partner, Aggranda built Pisco, a software robot for Ana Pan, to help the company process supermarket orders. The robot can add the order to the ERP software, send cookies to production and set the date and time of delivery to department stores. With the help of Piscot, the company reduced costs and the time of entering invoices into the system – every month, Piscot Ana Pan saves 60 working hours per person and reduces the number of errors to zero. Learn more about how Pisco makes it easy to process orders for Ana Pan.