The question isn’t whether retailers should use AI, the questions now are how should they use it and why. AI can assist with everything from improving online product visibility and testing customer service tools to empowering associates and improving inventory accuracy, and during a recent webinar hosted by the North American Hardware and Paint Association (NHPA), Paladin director of business development Paul Butcher explored how AI is reshaping independent hardware retail.
Butcher was joined by the CEO of FastQuery, Joe Bullock, who provided additional insights into how retailers can embrace AI to improve customer service, support associates, strengthen operations and make smarter business decisions.
“We are very, very early in the innovation cycle in the AI space and it’s hard to make, sense out of the noise,” Bullock says. “But I think AI is going to reshape the ability of retailers to operate with greater speed and precision and these tools are going to permeate every single aspect of our lives.”
When diving into AI, Butcher says it’s crucial to look at the areas of your operation that are most crucial to your operation’s growth and focus on how AI can help in those areas.
“You also need to understand who your partners are and what directions they’re going with the AI space, assuring that your direction and their direction are going on the same path toward AI,” Butcher says.
To learn more about how these retailers are using AI to improve overall operations, watch the full conversation here.
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