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April 27, 2022

What impact does SD-WAN have on retail store chains?

The retail store chain is where your business meets customers. It is here a bond develops, and a brand is born. Revenue generation happens here! Data is king in a retail environment, and connecting with a data network is inevitable. WAN networks help achieve better outcomes with cloud-centric applications, transforming the landscape of retail store chains. The criticality of digital transformation was experienced during COVID times with retailers struggling to reach products and services to consumers. Digital transformation strategies have skyrocketed to address the gaps in the retail store chains.

We call retail a challenging environment with more connected applications and devices. With the emergence of IoT, the challenges will further intensify. The new-age retail store chains have a lot to cover apart from customer interaction to streamline their operations to increase revenues. The store locations have to be connected efficiently with the head office for supply and distribution. Network networks have to be agile, secure, and affordable when stepping into next-generation technologies. It is for these reasons businesses are embracing SD-WAN technologies.

SD-WAN in the retail store chains

  • Some of the areas that are likely to experience a permanent change due to the COVID pandemic are automation of the retail store chain, cloud acceleration, and network architecture redesigning. Enhancing customer experience through contactless shopping without compromising security is crucial, and it can be achieved with SD-WAN.
  • Retail store chains adhere to trends like cloud-first strategies, contactless technology, security compliance, Omni-channel agility, mobile applications, and online orders and payment.
  • The retail store chain has taken to multiple network technologies to address the diverse needs of the business. Retailers are constantly adding multiple technologies to cater to different environments, which can sustain the complex retail networks.
  • The future stores will no more need isolated legacy systems or network infrastructure that is insufficient to handle the growing needs of the retail store chains. The legacy systems cannot handle cloud applications, real-time sensing, and data-intensive environments.
  • Large retail store chains have the resources to invest in next-generation technologies. The problem is with the small and medium retailers. Everyone should realize that innovation and adoption of automation are a must to sustain the business. In the long run, it can ease operations and bring in revenue. SD-WAN is the new retailer’s network infrastructure.
  • The three concerns of scalability, flexibility, deployment and management can be alleviated with SD-WAN technology.

SD-WAN benefits extended to retailer store chains

  1. The software-based design and technical upgrades have put SD-WAN above the legacy network technologies.
  2. Hybrid cloud environments can handle workloads with high bandwidth and latency-sensitive requirements.
  3. Large retail chains expand their IT portfolios for more agility, bandwidth, and security suitable for high-performing applications. Smaller retailers can use the higher bandwidth for better hands-off management with limited IT resources.
  4. The faster deployment of networks will be the game-changer.
  5. The possibility of quickly scaling up and down the operations is the key attribute of agility. Retail chains can accelerate the network capabilities as per their requirements. The traffic and revenue are easy to come.
  6. While opening a new store, it comes as a shock to know that the cost of expanding the MPLS network is very expensive. In such cases deploying additional & alternate networks is a breeze with SD-WAN.
  7. Real-time operational visibility provides a richer user experience as the legacy network cannot handle the burden of modern technological advances.
  8. Critical applications can be run on broadband services without compromising security. With the help of intelligent path selection based on applications, secure zero-touch provisioning, and centralized configuration, this is possible.
  9. SD-WAN provides rich analytics and faster troubleshooting, increasing uptime to boost productivity.
  10. It provides additional zero-touch branch network deployments to provide networks for retail sites quicker than anticipated.

SMOAD SD-WAN
SMOAD routers come with SD-WAN edge technology for quick, secure and seamless connectivity. SMOAD SD-WAN is easy to install and enjoy uninterrupted connectivity through multiple devices. The flexibility of aggregated networks like broadband, LTE, and 5G ensure your business is never down.

For more details, get a demo!