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Discover five of Mist AI’s key advantages in the retail sphere and see how OnX managed network support helps deliver their full transformative potential.

Read more: Transforming the digital workplace with AI

Unmatched omnichannel customer engagement

Customers today anticipate individualized experiences available consistently across every engagement channel, including in-person shopping. With Juniper Mist AI, retail businesses have both a reliable foundation for connectivity in their stores, and the back-end analytics to ingest and interpret data from the customers who leverage it. These insights enable retailers to offer innovative opportunities for engagement across all locations, physical and virtual.

Mist AI facilitates:

• Geofenced communication: coupons, menus, and other offers.
• In-store wayfinding.
• Integrated digital and in-store shopping.
• Seamless grab-and-go offerings.
• Autopayment.
• Improved self-service and self-checkout.
• Hybrid, augmented-reality marketing experiences.
• Networked digital displays.
• Flexible point-of-sale connectivity.
• Innovative Internet of Things (IoT) implementations.

Resilient network infrastructure

Supporting a data-driven customer experience demands highly reliable, flexible connectivity. Poor network performance can lead to service degradation and damage consumer trust, but Mist AI takes steps to resolve network issues before they ever impact customers.

The embedded AI in Juniper Mist is the same technology that drives Marvis, its inbuilt virtual assistant. These resources continuously track network health over time and analyze performance trends, allowing Mist to spot traffic spikes, service interruptions, and other events that might negatively impact user experience. Mist can alert technology teams to incidents and support their efforts via Marvis, or retail operators can empower Mist AI to intervene autonomously before effects are ever felt.

A flexible network backbone powered by the cloud

Relying on legacy networking solutions leaves retailers facing lengthy waits when configuring a new location and limits the ability to respond to rapid market changes. Deploying a pop-up store or temporary satellite in a high-demand location is virtually impossible with the previous generation of network hardware.

Modern networking is natively rooted in cloud environments, and takes advantage of that platform’s exceptional agility, enabling retailers to scale operations up and down simply and with a minimum of costly hardware changes. In addition, AI features in Juniper Mist streamline retail deployments with intelligent configuration capabilities, which simplify remote implementation and management, and lessen the strain on busy network administrators. The agility of SD-WAN keeps retail businesses connected without constraining growth and innovation.

Learn more: Technology drives success and innovation in the retail industry

AI-powered IoT in retail

The interplay of material and digital goods and services in the retail sector offers a tremendous opportunity to leverage IoT capabilities. Connected devices require a reliable, high-capacity network to support them, for which Mist AI’s resilience and robust bandwidth are ideal.

An IoT deployment backed by Mist AI capabilities does more than enhance business operations and elevate the customer experience. It allows the capture and analysis of operational data that can shape strategies for staffing, warehouse management, planograms, and more.

Retail IoT use cases

• Door sensors
  • Detect activity in sensitive areas.
  • Track foot traffic and store occupancy.
• AI cameras
  • Speed self-checkout with product identification.
  • Protect customers and staff with safety alerts.
• Air quality detectors
  • Prevent humidity or temperature from affecting stored products.
  • Incorporate smoke and vapor detection into safety strategy.
• Locators and beacons
  • Assess in-store routing and accessibility.
  • Provide information or promotional offers at set locations.

Learn more: Major shifts in retail technology signal the latest tech evolution

Next-generation defenses against modern cybersecurity risks

Retail businesses are responsible for a significant amount of information, such as customer payment data, that presents an appealing target for cybercriminals. In fact, 18% of cybersecurity incidents in North America target the retail and wholesale sector, making security a pressing priority for retailers. Data breaches represent a significant blow to brand image and consumer confidence, in addition to financial losses and fines.

With Mist AI, however, retailers can take advantage of efficient and comprehensive policy management to mitigate the threat. Mist is constructed on a foundation of zero-trust security principles and offers broad transparency into network activity to swiftly identify risks. Retailers can also empower Mist to begin remediation autonomously, reducing the possibility of costly downtime and ensuring the application of the latest threat intelligence in real time.

Learn more: Cybersecurity Awareness Month: Staying safe with AI solutions

Transform your retail business with fully optimized Juniper Mist AI from OnX

For retail businesses on the path to technology modernization, there is no better partner than OnX. Over four decades of successful collaboration with top retail brands gives OnX the industry knowledge to integrate with your retail business and help you develop a customized roadmap to your technology goals.

With NaaS services from OnX, businesses of any size can benefit from leading-edge Juniper Mist AI solutions, tailored to their specific requirements and supported by a world-class team of expert engineers. A custom OnX implementation ensures that your organization’s investment in modernization reaches its full potential.

Begin your AI retail transformation with confidence. Contact OnX today to learn more about Juniper Mist AI’s role in building your organization’s future.