Retailers, just like any other company, seek to analyze the proclivities and tendencies of their customers. In order to ensure that this data is pertinent, traditional metrics such as average order value, conversion rate, purchase recency, and purchase total are tracked. Retailers use these measures are to gain valuable insights into what their customers are purchasing — and just as important, why the customers are choosing the given products. Retail analytics are a valuable tool that can assist retailers improve their relatively thin profit margins. Below are some of the newer technology-based retail analytics that are propelling retailers into the 21st century.

And the stakes have never been higher. The global retail analytics market is projected to grow from an estimated USD 11.31 billion in 2026 to USD 20.65 billion by 2031, at a CAGR of 12.8% (MarketsandMarkets, 2026). Analytics has shifted from a discretionary spend to a fundamental retail requirement, with AI-driven decision engines, real-time personalization, and prescriptive inventory tools now embedded into day-to-day retail processes. Retail analytics is a valuable tool that can help retailers improve their relatively thin profit margins. Below are answers to the most common questions about the technology-based retail analytics propelling retailers deeper into the digital era.

What is video retail analytics and why is it growing so fast?

Video analytics are rapidly becoming widespread in the retail industry. The reasoning for this mushrooming rise in popularity hinges on the wealth of data that is gleaned from video surveillance. This form of video analytics enables retailers to gather vital information about their customers, what impact different marketing and merchandising efforts are having, and the root reasons for “shrink” and related issues.

Modern solutions have taken this a step further with AI-powered image and video recognition at the shelf. For example, Ivy Eye, Ivy Mobility’s native image recognition solution, lets field reps capture shelf details through photos and video, automatically computing KPIs like Share of Shelf, Availability, Assortment Share, and Display Share — with up to 97% accuracy. Images and videos can even be processed directly on a mobile device, offline, so data collection never stops in low-connectivity stores. Brands using shelf image recognition have reported up to a 2% lift in same-store sales and a 12% improvement in assortment availability.

How does retail tracking help prevent “shrink”?

“Shrink” is the term common to the retail sector that refers to losses caused by shoplifting, as well as employee theft. Retailers that have gone to fully automated inventory tracking systems are able to access up-to-the-minute analytics to determine where their inventory is, and to deduce possible causes of discrepancies.

Field-facing platforms extend this visibility beyond the stockroom. With a modern retail execution solution like Ivy Mobility’s, reps can track every asset placed in the market for instance, if a brand has given two refrigerators or display units to a retailer, each one can be tracked separately on the retailer’s profile, along with its service history. Automated SKU scanning also flags price variances, monitors promotional compliance, and tracks point-of-sale materials store-by-store, closing the gaps where losses and leakage typically hide.

How does retail analytics help cater to the individual customer?

Arguably the most dynamic manner in which technology-based retail analytics has helped the retail industry relates to providing a tailored, personal customer experience based on the past trends and propensities of the individual — referred to as data analytics and business intelligence. This factor especially comes into play when considering the ubiquity of mobile devices. Customers visit retailer, pull out their mobile devices, and proceed to convey a wealth of valuable data in the form of apps used and website accessed. The retailer that is able to capitalize on this technology happening under their roofs is definitely going to have a stark advantage over their counterparts who aren’t exploiting the same technology.

Customer retail analytics have always existed. However, with the rapid advance of technology, these analytics and metrics have the potential to become exponentially more powerful (and therefore profitable) to the retail sector.