IoT Start-up Tracker—Digital Retail

The retail industry is increasingly focused on increasing sales and revenue through radical innovation and digital transformation.
Frost & Sullivan's Start-Up Tracker is a resource to help the ecosystem participants identify solution providers with offerings that match industry challenges.

The Start-Up Tracker provides a rich database of start-up and niche players that have the capabilities to transform processes in retail and add value to the end-user. These companies were selected based on the Frost & Sullivan best practices database, in addition to secondary research on retail tech ecosystem mappings and rankings worldwide, such as the IoT Retail Market Map from CB Insights and other regional Retail Tech mapping and rankings.

A list of start-ups focused on retail IoT was made by region, including different segments: sensor-based analytics and marketing, indoor mapping, smart dressing rooms, and service robots.

Frost & Sullivan conducted detailed primary interviews with start-ups that are standing out in beacon-and sensor-based analytics and marketing in different regions to generate a competitive profile and understand relevant developments, strategy and value proposition. Beacon-and sensor-based analytics and marketing was chosen because it is the segment with the most innovative solutions in the digital retail industry.

Each company short-listed has been screened and analyzed by the analyst, and an overall score was established for each start-up based on the criteria described in this study.

To be considered a part of the IoT, any product, application, or service must be part of a larger solution that comprises these 4 elements:
• Objects that are virtualized and imbued with data measurement capabilities
• The ability to grant identities to physical and virtual objects
• Interconnections between these objects for monitoring and interaction
• The ability to generate real-time insights from data and incorporate them into existing business processes
• The Internet of Things (IoT) space is still in flux. Unlike more mature ICT verticals, the IoT space also has significant overlap with other industries
such as the automotive, energy, and manufacturing industries.
• To accurately observe and measure IoT-related economic activity, Frost & Sullivan uses the definition above to determine if a technology product, application, or service is to be considered part of the IoT.

The key digital agriculture products covered in this study are automation and control systems, wireless connectivity and sensors, and smart retail equipment and machinery. The key segments covered in this study are indoor mapping, smart dressing rooms, sensor-based analytics and marketing, and service robots. Indoor mapping is often used to create promotions. Smart dressing rooms is usually based on interactive touchscreen. Sensor-based analytics and marketing solutions often tracks in-store visitors. Service robots aim enables shelves to stay always stocked.

Author: Carina Goncalves