See your retail connectivity as a catalyst, not a commodity
One of the most serious pitfalls in connectivity specification is sticking with the traditional view that it’s a commodity, to be chosen and bought solely based on price. Allowing the commodity mindset to dominate shuts down any debate or curiosity about what capabilities and capacity retail businesses will need in the near future, risking expensive limitations. Robust security is often a casualty, sacrificed in efforts to keep costs as low as possible.
Commission optimised retail connectivity to overcome this
Think partner, not provider
Buying capabilities rather than commodities should mean gaining a partner who will invest in understanding your business, keep bringing fresh ideas and redouble their efforts to support you through difficult times.
Make the most of partner experience
Experienced providers have delivered retail connectivity to requirements almost identical to yours. Go in open minded; they probably have more solutions than you know about for issues you don’t realise you have.
Be realistic about scalability
Opting for the tightest, purely budget-driven specification gives no room for your requirements to evolve as you move through the project. Ask experts about cost-effective specifications that allow room to grow.
Expect security to be central to discussions
If security is treated as a bolt-on, take it as a red flag. Connectivity and security must develop hand in hand to drive the resilient capabilities and experiences you want – despite the rapid evolution of existing threats and the emergence of new forms of attack.
Consider bundling implications
Providers may bundle local providers to meet your varied needs across the geographic area of your operations. Probe the implications of this, particularly in terms of management complexity and SLA differences.
Probe resilience options
Making sure retail connectivity is always-on and has fallback options can ramp up costs. Challenge providers to present diverse, cost-effective solutions, encompassing fixed line and mobile backup options.
Look intently at hyperscaler connectivity
As retailers use more services in hyperscalers, managing connectivity and security risks grows more complex. Extracting maximum value and ensuring data security in their clouds is increasingly a specialisation connectivity providers should offer.
Hot considerations in connectivity
As a leading UK retailer and a global connectivity provider to the retail sector, we channel both user experience and provider insight into the solutions we create.
Here are the hot growth areas to watch:
Easy in-store Wi-Fi
Shoppers dislike having to log in to your Wi-Fi as they enter and use their mobile data instead, effectively becoming invisible to you. Consider in-store 5G for seamless Wi-Fi transition, elegant integration with your apps, advanced customer insights and personalised promotions.
Do more in store with edge compute
Boosting store-level data processing capacity opens the door to greater independence and resilience. It also enables the technologies driving personalised experiences such as smart digital signage, frictionless checkouts, sentiment analysis and dynamic shelf screens. Edge compute allows retailers to collect more data to enhance the targeted experiences offered to customers.
Rapid site connectivity
Deliver complete connectivity overnight to pop-up locations wherever and whenever you want to, with a fully self-contained connectivity centre small enough to fit on a pallet. Instantly operate your full-service range with all the network infrastructure you need, complete with maximum security.
What your connectivity will be able to do in the future is as important as what it can do today.
Ready-to-trade dashboards
Recent high-profile outages underlined the value of moving fast to mitigate systems going down. Retailers juggling intricate store networks and online channels are investing in a single-pane-of-glass view for instant visibility of issues and their likely business impact.
Partners who are innovators
Prospective partners must be able to show you how they’re shaping the future, what opportunities will be available to you and how you can realise these securely. Ask about partnerships with leading vendors and R&D capabilities, particularly around 6G and AI-powered networks.
Future-proofing security
Leading connectivity providers should be considering how to protect network connectivity as the threat and technology landscapes evolve. For example, aggressive predictions say a quantum computer will smash the encryption algorithms currently used in connectivity within the next three to five years. It’s reasonable to expect providers to have quantum-secure alternatives in trials already.
Smart connectivity decisions drive lasting business success.
Secure connectivity for today, tomorrow and beyond
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© BT 2025
© BT 2025