Even in inflationary times, commissaries, supermarkets and other places where food is made or sold are increasingly turning to Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning technologies to help them streamline operations, improve the customer experience, reduce waste and give their bottom lines a boost. San Ramon, Calif.-based AI and ML specialist Impulse Logic delivers advanced predictive analytics to create the optimal product flow through a retailer's store to optimize labor availability, ensure product availability, reduce waste, and increase profits, said Matt Frost, the company's CEO. "By optimizing the journey from warehouse to shop floor, stores can improve the way they manage their inventory to drive sales," Frost said. "Our innovative AI and ML-based solution does this by reading in-store data every two seconds." That ensures that store associates can make decisions based on accurate insights and ultimately deliver outstanding customer service and satisfaction.

The online uses and benefits of AI have been well documented and utilised, but now in-store retail is starting to unlock the possibilities of AI. The maturity of smartphone technology is helping to drive this, with real time data being harnessed to make targeted suggestions based on an individual's location, personal preferences, and past behaviour. However, the use of AI enabled self-service checkouts is one area where AI is really starting to impact a consumer's daily life. Self-checkouts have been transforming the shopping experience for over two decades, reducing queue times, and helping retailers use floor space more effectively due to the smaller space required for their operation. However, self-checkout manufacturers are now working to take advantage of the latest technology innovations to improve the experience for all customers and retailers. Using AI enabled visual recognition technology, self-checkouts can now be equipped with smart recognition technology that enables the checkout to "see" the item, recognise it, and promptly provide the customer with the item for selection on the screen.

Infor, a leading provider of business applications, has announced the acquisition of Predictix, a provider of machine-learning solutions for retailers. Predictix will become part of Infor CloudSuite Retail, a new suite of enterprise applications delivered in the cloud and designed for today's retailing landscape. The acquisition comes six months after Infor announced an investment in Predictix. "The synergies between Infor and Predictix were greater than we could have hoped, and we've come to appreciate a great cultural alignment where both teams have passionate people who work hard and want to make a difference in retail and beyond," said Charles Phillips, CEO of Infor. "Buying out the other Predictix investors makes sense to bring the teams together and provide the scale and resources needed to accelerate the retail revolution."