FMI & CART Launch TechTalk Series

By: Doug Baker, Vice President, Industry Relations, FMI 

A few months ago, FMI partnered with Center for Advancing Retail & Technology, LLC (CART) and published a white paper, It’s Time for A COVID-19 Technology Checkup, focusing on timely food industry technology.  

 

After identifying the technology areas of focus for needed capabilities as the industry emerges into a post-pandemic world, we teamed up further with nine companies with thought leadership and experience in key technology growth areas.  

We identified the need to understand the impact that Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Augmented Reality, and Virtual Reality will play in the retail operating model, going forward. There is consensus among the FMI membership that many if not all the above enabling technologies will significantly impact current retail economics, however, ultimately resulting in a lower cost to serve the consumer.  

We believe with the ongoing and accelerating growth of digital/ecommerce including both omnichannel and pure play, as well as increasing labor costs will radically alter retail profit and loss statements. FMI sees the above technologies as both disrupters and enablers of new economics and a new operating model at retail.