In 2020, the retail industry faced tremendous challenges, as COVID-19 caused disruptions in product supply and demand; in the labor pool; and in consumer spending. To address the challenges, retailers accelerated their digitalization strategies. The retailers best positioned to emerge stronger from COVID-19 were those that leveraged a cloud foundation to maintain customer relationships, protect employee health and safety, and maintain a competitive differentiator through innovative, customized products.

The 2020 Frost & Sullivan Global Cloud User Survey looked at how retailers worldwide are approaching digital transformation. Among the findings are:
• Retailers feel generally positive about their digital journeys, with 67% saying they believe they are more digitally advanced than competitors.
• 76% say their technology investments are meeting stakeholder expectations for achieving business goals.
• Multicloud adoption has skyrocked among retailers in the past year, up nearly 50%. Hybrid cloud adoption is up by 19%.

Author: Lynda Stadtmueller