New Incisiv Study with Toshiba and Intel Explores How Adaptive Store Operations Balance Experience and Efficiency in Specialty Retail

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Specialty retailers are under increasing pressure to deliver engaging in-store experiences while managing growing operational complexity, labor pressures, and evolving customer expectations. To help retailers respond, Incisiv, in partnership with Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions and Intel, have released new research that takes a closer look at how retailers are navigating that balance, outlining a practical framework for modernizing store operations in real-time.

The findings underscore how critical it is to connect experience and execution—particularly as retailers with strong omnichannel engagement retain nearly 89% of customers, compared with just 33% for those with weaker strategies.

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“Specialty retailers operate in some of the most complex store environments in retail, where differentiation depends on experience, but success is determined by execution,” said Giri Agarwal, Chief Strategy Officer at Incisiv. “As retailers look to improve accuracy and efficiency at the front end of the store, technologies such as computer vision are becoming increasingly important - reflected by the fact that 80% of retailers are investing in computer vision to address missed scans at self-checkout. Retailers that can adapt operations in real time are better positioned to manage complexity while delivering consistent, high-quality in-store experiences.”

The research offers clear direction for leaders looking to strengthen store performance today while positioning their operations to respond more effectively to evolving customer expectations, operational demands, and technology requirements in the future. Retail leaders can explore the findings in The Adaptive Store: Balancing Experience and Efficiency in Specialty Retail industry brief and access practical guidance in the Building Adaptive Specialty Retail Stores playbook.

“Specialty retailers rely on technology to deliver differentiated experiences, but those experiences only scale when operations, strategy, and partners are aligned,” said Fredrik Carlegren, VP and Head of Marketing & Communications at Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions. “The findings underscore how critical it is to connect experience and execution—particularly as retailers with strong omnichannel engagement retain nearly 89% of customers, compared with just 33% for those with weaker strategies. Strong collaboration and partnership strategies are essential to that alignment, and our work with Intel is one way we are helping retailers translate insight into action across today’s complex store environments.”

About Incisiv:

Incisiv is a peer-to-peer executive network and industry insights firm for consumer industry executives navigating digital disruption. Incisiv offers curated executive learning, digital maturity benchmarks and prescriptive transformation insights to clients across the consumer and technology industry spectrum.

www.incisiv.com

About Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions:

Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions empowers retail to thrive and prosper through a dynamic ecosystem of smarter, more agile solutions and services that enable retailers to resiliently evolve with generations of consumers and adapt to market conditions. Supported by a global organization of devoted employees and partners, retailers gain more visibility and control over operations while enjoying the flexibility to build, scale, and transform retail experiences that anticipate and fulfill consumers’ ever-changing needs.

Visit commerce.toshiba.com and engage with us on:

LinkedIn - YouTube - Facebook - Instagram: @toshibacommerce

X/Twitter: @ToshibaCommerce

Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions is a wholly owned subsidiary of Toshiba Tec Corporation, which is traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.