Growth Opportunities for Communications, Collaboration and Contact Center Solutions in the Retail Industry

Growth Opportunities for Communications, Collaboration and Contact Center Solutions in the Retail Industry

Retail sales are an important economic indicator because consumer spending reflects the strength of an economy and its fundamentals. Retailers are expected to invest in transformative technologies to prepare for unexpected events, new emergencies and build resilience. Currently, among the primary focal areas for retailers is to build e-commerce capabilities and support the diverse workforce with unified communications and collaboration (UCC) and contact center technologies.

This study leverages the input of IT decision makers from a global survey conducted by Frost and Sullivan in November through December 2021, which was analyzed in 2022. IT decision maker participants spanned across global regions, and business sizes. The survey focused on the current state of adoption among various unified communications, collaboration and contact center tools, key investment drivers and future investment plans, perceived benefits of those tools, top challenges that retail organizations face, the current and future state of hybrid work, as well as future office and real estate plans.

The retail sector encompasses a rage of business types, from automotive retail; consumer and professional electronics retail; fashion, fitness and personal care; convenience, hyper markets, grocery stores and more. As such, the industry is comprised of a diverse mix of worker roles across back office and frontline staff, including industry-specific and general business roles.


  • IT/Telecom Decision-maker Survey: Research Objectives and Methodology
    • Research Objectives
    • Research Methodology
    • Sample Distribution—Country
  • IT/Telecom Decision-maker Survey: Respondent and Organization Profile
    • Respondent Profile—Decision-Making Authority
    • Respondent Profile—Familiarity with IT Budget
    • Respondent Profile—IT/Telecom-Related Purchase Involvement
    • Organization Profile—Size of Organization
    • Organization Revenue
  • Market Overview
    • Why Retail? Why Now?
    • Retail Industry—Definition, Revenue and ICT Spend
    • Retail Industry Overview—Workforce Characteristics
    • Disruption in the Retail Industry
    • Overview of Key Trends in Retail industry
    • Retail Industry in the Spotlight
    • Frontline Workers in the Retail Industry
  • Digital Transformation in the Retail Industry
    • IT/Telecom Decision Maker Perspectives: Digital Transformation Strategies
    • Impact of Covid-19 on Digital Transformation Strategy and Investments in 2021–2022
    • Business Goals for Retail Organizations in 2022
    • COVID-19 Impact on Digital Transformation Objectives in 2022
    • Employee Engagement Initiatives in 2022
    • Hurdles in Achieving Digital Transformation Objectives
    • Digital Transformation Success measurement
  • UCC and Contact Center Adoption in the Retail Industry
    • IT/Telecom Decision-maker Perspectives: UCC and Contact Center Adoption
    • Usage of UCC and Contact Center Solutions
    • Usage of UCC and Contact Center Tools
    • Enterprise Telephony/Business Call Control Environment
    • Usage of Primary Type of Telephony solution in the Organization
    • Importance of Infrastructure Capabilities when Choosing Enterprise Telephony/Unified Communications Platform
    • Selection Criteria for Cloud PBX Solution/Providers
    • Importance of Purchasing Tangential Capabilities from the Same Provider
    • Usage of UCC Technologies in Meeting Rooms
    • Importance of Mobility Features
    • Usage of Business Communications Services on Mobile/ Cellular Devices
    • Usage of 5G Mobile Devices
    • Factors Prohibiting Investments in UCC Technologies
    • Type of Interaction Channels Employed
    • Technologies Used to Improve Contact Center Performance and Workforce Engagement
  • Frontliner UCC Adoption in the Retail Industry
    • IT/Telecom Decision Maker Perspectives: Frontline Workers
    • Frontline Workers in Retail Organizations
    • Perception of Organization's Capabilities to Empower Frontline Workers
    • Importance of Technology Investment for Frontline Workers by 2024
    • Technologies Used by Frontline Workers Today
    • UCC Tools Used by Frontline Workers
    • Importance of Capabilities for Frontline Workers
    • Provisioning of Mobile Apps by Worker Type
    • Provider Selection Criteria for Investing in UCC Solutions for Frontline Workers
    • Factors Preventing Frontline Workers Empowerment
  • Work from Home and Remote Work in the Retail Industry
    • IT/Telecom Decision Maker Perspectives: Work from Home and Remote Work
    • Percentage of Employees Working at a Desk and Not Classified as Frontliners
    • Workforce Working From Home
    • Covid-19 Impact on Technologies for Remote Workers
    • IT Challenges in Supporting Remote Work
  • Future Investment Plans in the Retail Vertical
    • IT/Telecom Decision Maker Perspectives: Future Investment Plans
    • Usage of UCC and Contact Center Solutions in 2023
    • CX Priorities Over the Next Year
    • Factors Driving Investments in UCC Solutions by 2023
  • Retail Vertical Industry Trends
    • Best Practices in Delivering Value to Verticals and Frontline Workers
    • Examples of Vertical Solutions
  • Conclusion
    • Growth Opportunities for Technology Providers

Download our eBook: How to Succeed Using Market Research

Learn how to effectively navigate the market research process to help guide your organization on the journey to success.

Download eBook
Cookie Settings