[{"_id":"project-settings","settings":{"translateMetaTags":true,"translateAriaLabels":true,"translateTitle":true,"showWidget":true,"isFeedbackEnabled":false,"fv":1,"customWidget":{"theme":"dark","font":"rgb(255, 255, 255)","header":"rgb(0, 0, 0)","background":"rgba(0, 0, 0,0.8)","position":"right","positionVertical":"bottom","border":"","borderRequired":false,"widgetCompact":true,"isWidgetPositionRelative":false},"widgetLanguages":[{"code":"es-LA","name":"Español (América Latina)"},{"code":"fr-CA","name":"Français (Canada)"}],"activeLanguages":{"fr-CA":"Français (Canada)","es-LA":"Español (América Latina)","de":"Deutsch","en":"English"},"enabledLanguages":["de","en","es-LA","fr-CA"],"debugInfo":false,"displayBranding":true,"displayBrandingName":true,"localizeImages":false,"localizeUrls":false,"localizeImagesLimit":false,"localizeUrlsLimit":true,"localizeAudio":false,"localizeAudioLimit":false,"localizeDates":false,"disabledPages":[],"regexPhrases":[],"allowComplexCssSelectors":false,"blockedClasses":false,"blockedIds":false,"phraseDetection":true,"customDomainSettings":[],"seoSetting":[],"translateSource":false,"overage":false,"detectPhraseFromAllLanguage":false,"googleAnalytics":false,"mixpanel":false,"heap":false,"sdkAnalytics":true,"disableDateLocalization":false,"ignoreCurrencyInTranslation":false,"blockedComplexSelectors":[]},"version":5409},{"_id":"en","source":"en","pluralFn":"return n != 1 ? 1 : 0;","pluralForm":2,"dictionary":{},"version":5409},{"_id":"outdated","outdated":{"#Inline-02 (9)":1,"#Inline-01 (9)":1,"#tsyhun, Shutterstock / Pressmaster, Shutterstock / Kite_rin":1,"#<a ljsid-0=\"\">Boutique iQ</a>, our telecom-specific point-of-sale lowers transaction times and improves the in-store experience for reps and customers with front-of-house capabilities including mobile POS, payment processing, and contactless payments. Our retail management modules boost operational efficiency with inventory, data, analytics, omnichannel, and much more.":1,"#iQmetrix | Retail Evolved: Telecom Retail Stores Are Becoming…":1,"#5 Predictions for Telecom Retail in 2026 (And How We're Tackling Them at SummitX)":1,"#Learn more about our products":1,"#Your customers are already omnichannel. Your tech should be too. Let’s reimagine what’s possible, together.":1,"#With iQmetrix, that optimism becomes action. Our interconnected solutions empower your teams, delight your customers, and future-proof your business.":1,"#As our trends survey notes, <span ljsid-1=\"\"></span><span ljsid-3=\"\">“</span>After years of headlines proclaiming the death of retail, the industry is reimagining the role of the store and finding optimism in omnichannel.”":1,"#Omnichannel retail in telecom isn’t a future ambition; it’s happening now. Retailers that start small with high-impact use cases, such as BOPIS or endless-aisle ordering, see immediate results and quick ROI. The technology is intuitive, modular, and built for telecom’s unique workflows such as activations, IMEI tracking, and carrier integrations.":1,"#From Vision to Action":1,"#Many retail platforms still treat omnichannel as an add-on feature. iQmetrix takes a different approach: it’s Interconnected Commerce by design. Built cloud-native and telecom-specific, iQmetrix empowers retailers to evolve quickly, without the costly overhauls, rigid deployments, or endless customization typical of older systems. The result is flexibility that scales with your business and a platform that feels light, connected, and future-ready.":1,"#<strong ljsid-0=\"\">iQ Hub</strong> is our upcoming cloud-native, event-driven retail management system that will centralize inventory, order, and reporting workflows. It will connect online, in-store, and warehouse channels into one unified system. This will enable real-time data synchronization, automated task management, and streamlined back-office operations, saving time and eliminating guesswork.":1,"#<strong ljsid-0=\"\">iQ Storefront</strong> is a <em ljsid-2=\"\">beyond-POS</em> solution specifically designed for telecom retail that unites in-store sales, online pickups, activations, and returns in a single, intuitive, device-agnostic interface. Associates can serve customers anywhere in the store, with real-time access to inventory and customer data.":1,"#<a ljsid-0=\"\">iQ Storefront Telecom POS</a> and iQ Hub, the core of iQmetrix’s Interconnected Commerce Retail Suite, are designed precisely for this world.":1,"#How iQmetrix Makes It Possible":1,"#The customer experiences one brand, one journey, and zero friction.":1,"#The customer information, order status, and inventory are all updated across channels the moment the transaction is completed.":1,"#The associate completes setup, recommends accessories, and processes payment on the spot via tap-to-pay.":1,"#When they arrive, the associate already has the order pulled up on a tablet, thanks to a unified system.":1,"#A customer reserves a phone online and books an in-store appointment.":1,"#A truly unified telecom experience feels effortless:":1,"#What Omnichannel Excellence Looks Like":1,"#In telecom, this expectation runs even deeper. Customers rely on in-store expertise to activate devices, transfer data, or troubleshoot plans. The in-store visit is often the final, trust-building step of a digital journey. <span ljsid-1=\"\"></span><span ljsid-3=\"\">“</span>Omnichannel or bust” isn’t just a slogan, but the new retail reality.":1,"#Physical locations are now showrooms, service centers, and fulfillment nodes all at once. Shoppers browse devices online, pick them up in-store, or buy in person and ship to their homes. Retailers who enable this fluidity see clear payoffs; customers are<strong ljsid-1=\"\"> </strong>more likely to purchase when services like curbside pickup are available.":1,"#The New Role of the Store":1,"#The store isn’t dying. <strong ljsid-1=\"\">It’s evolving into a connected, customer-first commerce hub at the center of every journey.</strong>":1,"#This blog kicks off our new series, <em ljsid-1=\"\">Retail Evolved: The Mega Trends Bringing People and Technology Together</em>, where we explore the forces reshaping modern telecom retail, and how you can stay ahead. For telecom retailers, that means the walls between digital and physical need to come down. In our <span ljsid-3=\"\">2025</span> Telecom Retail Trends survey, <strong ljsid-5=\"\"><span ljsid-5-0=\"\">52</span>% </strong>of industry professionals said stores are essential to their unified commerce strategy.":1,"#Telecom customers no longer think in terms of channels; they expect a seamless, continuous experience. A shopper might start researching online, book an appointment, then walk into your store expecting a seamless handoff. In fact, <strong ljsid-1=\"\"><span ljsid-1-0=\"\">73</span>% </strong>of retail consumers are omnichannel shoppers, and they’re more loyal and valuable than single-channel buyers.":1,"#by <span ljsid-1=\"\">Courtney Miller, Market Research and Intelligence Analyst</span> on Nov <span ljsid-3=\"\">19</span>, <span ljsid-5=\"\">2025</span> in <a ljsid-7=\"\"> Telecom Industry Trends </a> <a ljsid-9=\"\"> Interconnected Commerce </a>":1,"#by <span ljsid-1=\"\">Stephanie Boyle</span> on Jun <span ljsid-3=\"\">11</span>, <span ljsid-5=\"\">2020</span> in <a ljsid-7=\"\"> COVID-<span ljsid-7-1=\"\">19</span> </a> <a ljsid-9=\"\"> Customer Experience </a>":1,"#2D":1,"#1D":1,"#Disruptive eSIM technology will be a hot topic at the 2022 Telecom Industry Address, hosted by on October 19":1,"#iQmetrix | New eSIM-only iPhone Changes the Game for Telecom Carriers":1,"#With the plethora of eSIM capable phones already being produced by device manufacturers, it will be interesting to see which companies follow suit. Either way, it seems that most US network providers will have to adapt and forge a new path forward if they want to hang on to customers upgrading to the newest devices.":1,"#. The recovery in roaming revenue had only just started to hit its stride this year. Many analysts have predicted, however, that the Apple eSIM announcement will be the end of roaming revenue altogether.":1,"#from":1,"#<span ljsid-0=\"\">73</span>% decrease in global roaming subscribers":1,"#the global pandemic drove a massive":1,"#Carriers are want to protect their roaming revenue, which has only just recovered from COVID losses:":1,"#. Implementing eSIM technology would make it easier for customers to switch providers, which would only increase customer churn.":1,"#the lowest of all industries measured":1,"#, the telecom sector had a Net Promoter Score of":1,"#million customers changing carriers each year. The telecom industry has historically struggled with low customer loyalty levels, and the increased market competition has only fueled that trend. In":1,"#—resulting in":1,"#an industry churn rate of <span ljsid-1=\"\">22</span>%":1,"#telecom service providers in the United States have":1,"#Ever-higher telecom churn rates:":1,"#% in the United States. With such low awareness, it’s not surprising that network providers have felt a lack of urgency.":1,"#was at":1,"#report on the state of eSIM, consumer awareness of eSIM in":1,"#Although eSIM is seeing increasing adoption globally, according to GSMA Intelligence’s March":1,"#Low consumer awareness and demand:":1,"#Given that eSIM has broad penetration outside of North American — with many eSIM models already on the market — why are carriers struggling to embrace this technology? The answer is largely because of the game-changing disruption to their existing business models, along with other challenges.":1,"#What are eSIM’s key challenges for carriers?":1,"#used an eSIM service":1,"#countries who":1,"#billion subscribers in":1,"#more than":1,"#<span ljsid-0=\"\">57</span> smartphone models with eSIM on the market, more than half of which support <span ljsid-2=\"\">5</span>G":1,"#Device manufacturers, in contrast, have long been on board with eSIM. In <span ljsid-1=\"\">2021</span>, there were:":1,"#Currently, T-Mobile is the only major network operator supporting eSIM, a capability that they announced less than three weeks prior to the iPhone <span ljsid-1=\"\">14</span> launch. T-Mobile’s marketing of the feature downplays eSIM’s capability to easily switch carriers, instead focusing on benefits to consumers who either want to use both their work and personal numbers on a single device, or set up an international carrier on their existing device for extended stays outside of the United States.":1,"#However, this news was less welcome most North American carriers, who face challenges in implementing support for eSIM. Analyst firm Global Data has said that this announcement is <span ljsid-1=\"\"></span><span ljsid-3=\"\">“</span><a ljsid-4=\"\">a disaster for ill-prepared carriers</a>”. Given the hurdles this technology poses to carriers, it’s no wonder that the eSIM standard was first launched in <span ljsid-6=\"\">2016</span>, with the first eSIM-capable iPhone following in <span ljsid-8=\"\">2018</span>, but the telecom sector is yet to fully embrace it.":1,"#allows users to switch between different carriers (including international carriers when overseas) at the touch of a button.":1,"#is easier to activate":1,"#allows for smaller, more lightweight devices":1,"#eliminates the need for handling fiddly SIM cards":1,"#From a consumer standpoint, the benefits are clear. eSIM technology:":1,"#At the recent launch of the iPhone <span ljsid-1=\"\">14</span>, Apple announced that the newest iPhone model (in the United States only, for the time being) would have an embedded SIM, or eSIM, and would not have a physical SIM card tray. Consequently, iPhone users who want to upgrade to the newest model will need to have a rate plan with a carrier that supports eSIM technology.":1,"#One of the hottest topics in any telecom-related conversation right now — and a key point of discussion in the upcoming <a ljsid-1=\"\"><span ljsid-1-0=\"\">2022</span> Telecom Industry Address</a>—is the carrier support for eSIM phones and devices.":1,"#by <span ljsid-1=\"\">Ash Kreider</span> on Sep <span ljsid-3=\"\">28</span>, <span ljsid-5=\"\">2022</span> in <a ljsid-7=\"\"> Mobile Industry </a> <a ljsid-9=\"\"> Telecom Industry Trends </a>":1,"#by <span ljsid-1=\"\">Courtney Miller, Market Research and Intelligence Analyst</span> on Feb <span ljsid-3=\"\">27</span>, <span ljsid-5=\"\">2025</span> in <a ljsid-7=\"\"> Telecom Industry Trends </a>":1,"#by <span ljsid-1=\"\">Devin Shrake, Co-Founder, Shiftlab</span> on Sep <span ljsid-3=\"\">27</span>, <span ljsid-5=\"\">2021</span> in <a ljsid-7=\"\"> RQ Retail Management </a> <a ljsid-9=\"\"> Workforce Management </a>":1,"#by Devin Pacholik on Jun <span ljsid-1=\"\">3</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2019</span>":1,"#<span ljsid-1=\"\">3</span> Next-Gen Retail Trends for Next-Level Profits":1,"#by Megan Howse on Jun <span ljsid-1=\"\">17</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2019</span>":1,"#<span ljsid-1=\"\">29</span> Relatable Memes for Wireless Retailers":1,"#by Megan Howse on Oct <span ljsid-1=\"\">23</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2019</span>":1,"#by Kirsten Barkved on Dec <span ljsid-1=\"\">6</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2019</span>":1,"#There’s a Problem With FierceWireless’s <span ljsid-1=\"\"></span><span ljsid-3=\"\">“</span>Most Powerful People in Wireless Tech” List":1,"#by Stephanie Boyle on Dec <span ljsid-1=\"\">19</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2019</span>":1,"#by Renee Mohr, Product Marketing Manager, iQmetrix on Jan <span ljsid-1=\"\">6</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2020</span>":1,"#by Stephanie Boyle on Jan <span ljsid-1=\"\">13</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2020</span>":1,"#by Beth Wanner on Feb <span ljsid-1=\"\">5</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2020</span>":1,"#by Megan Slinn on Feb <span ljsid-1=\"\">13</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2020</span>":1,"#by Kirsten Barkved on Feb <span ljsid-1=\"\">24</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2020</span>":1,"#by Stephanie Boyle on Apr <span ljsid-1=\"\">15</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2020</span>":1,"#by Statflo on Apr <span ljsid-1=\"\">22</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2020</span>":1,"#by Statflo on Apr <span ljsid-1=\"\">28</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2020</span>":1,"#by Sive O’Neill on Apr <span ljsid-1=\"\">30</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2020</span>":1,"#by Jason Raymer, SVP of Revenue & Client Experience on Jan <span ljsid-1=\"\">16</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2023</span>":1,"#by Brayden Gervan on Oct <span ljsid-1=\"\">21</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2020</span>":1,"#by Joannah Connolly on Jan <span ljsid-1=\"\">28</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2021</span>":1,"#by Joannah Connolly on Apr <span ljsid-1=\"\">19</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2021</span>":1,"#by Joannah Connolly on Jun <span ljsid-1=\"\">9</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2021</span>":1,"#by Joannah Connolly on Jan <span ljsid-1=\"\">24</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2022</span>":1,"#by Joannah Connolly on Apr <span ljsid-1=\"\">22</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2022</span>":1,"#by Ash Kreider on Sep <span ljsid-1=\"\">28</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2022</span>":1,"#by Ash Kreider on Nov <span ljsid-1=\"\">4</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2022</span>":1,"#by Ash Kreider on Jan <span ljsid-1=\"\">11</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2023</span>":1,"#by Joannah Connolly on Jan <span ljsid-1=\"\">12</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2023</span>":1,"#by Ash Kreider on Jan <span ljsid-1=\"\">25</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2023</span>":1,"#by Joannah Connolly on Jan <span ljsid-1=\"\">26</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2023</span>":1,"#by Ash Kreider on Jan <span ljsid-1=\"\">30</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2023</span>":1,"#by Joannah Connolly on Feb <span ljsid-1=\"\">9</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2023</span>":1,"#by Tanya MacPherson, Director of Growth & Demand Gen, iQmetrix on Nov <span ljsid-1=\"\">6</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2018</span>":1,"#by Tanya MacPherson, Director of Growth & Demand Gen, iQmetrix on Feb <span ljsid-1=\"\">7</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2019</span>":1,"#by Erin McLellan on Sep <span ljsid-1=\"\">10</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2018</span>":1,"#<span ljsid-1=\"\">4</span> Things You Cannot Miss at This Year’s Mobile World Congress Americas":1,"#by Megan Howse on Sep <span ljsid-1=\"\">26</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2018</span>":1,"#ICYMI: Looking Back at MWCA <span ljsid-1=\"\">2018</span>":1,"#ICYMI Meetup <span ljsid-1=\"\">2018</span>: An Atmosphere Unlike Anything Else":1,"#by Megan Howse on Jan <span ljsid-1=\"\">4</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2019</span>":1,"#From AI to Z: What to Expect from CES <span ljsid-1=\"\">2019</span>":1,"#by Renee Mohr, Product Marketing Manager, iQmetrix on Jan <span ljsid-1=\"\">21</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2019</span>":1,"#What Retail Learned in <span ljsid-1=\"\">2018</span>":1,"#Reaching New Heights: Meetup <span ljsid-1=\"\">2019</span>":1,"#by Megan Slinn on Feb <span ljsid-1=\"\">25</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2019</span>":1,"#Growth in Wireless eCourse":1,"#by Megan Howse on Apr <span ljsid-1=\"\">9</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2019</span>":1,"#The Impact of <span ljsid-1=\"\">5</span>G on Wireless Retail":1,"#by Stephanie Boyle on Apr <span ljsid-1=\"\">26</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2019</span>":1,"#by Jason Raymer, SVP of Revenue & Client Experience on Jan <span ljsid-1=\"\">17</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2024</span>":1,"#by Ash Kreider on Mar <span ljsid-1=\"\">30</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2023</span>":1,"#by Ash Kreider on Apr <span ljsid-1=\"\">13</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2023</span>":1,"#by Ash Kreider on Jul <span ljsid-1=\"\">27</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2023</span>":1,"#by Ash Kreider on Aug <span ljsid-1=\"\">10</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2023</span>":1,"#by Ash Kreider on Nov <span ljsid-1=\"\">15</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2023</span>":1,"#by Ash Kreider on Jan <span ljsid-1=\"\">17</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2024</span>":1,"#by Ash Kreider on Jan <span ljsid-1=\"\">30</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2024</span>":1,"#by Ash Kreider on Mar <span ljsid-1=\"\">19</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2024</span>":1,"#by Joannah Connolly on Dec <span ljsid-1=\"\">2</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2024</span>":1,"#by Courtney Miller, Market Research and Intelligence Analyst on Feb <span ljsid-1=\"\">27</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2025</span>":1,"#by <span ljsid-1=\"\">Joannah Connolly</span> on Dec <span ljsid-3=\"\">4</span>, <span ljsid-5=\"\">2024</span> in <a ljsid-7=\"\"> SummitX </a> <a ljsid-9=\"\"> Telecom Industry Trends </a>":1,"#by Ash Kreider on Feb <span ljsid-1=\"\">2</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2023</span>":1,"#by Ash Kreider on Mar <span ljsid-1=\"\">16</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2023</span>":1,"#AI in Telecom Retail Posts":1,"#by Erin Drake, Customer Marketing and Operations Manager, Marketing on Jul <span ljsid-1=\"\">28</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2026</span>":1,"#Halfway Through 2026: How Our Five Telecom Retail Predictions Are Holding Up":1,"#Want to see what practical AI adoption can look like? <a ljsid-1=\"\">Explore how to introduce AI into your wireless retail tech stack.</a>":1,"#At iQmetrix, we’re focused on putting AI to work where it can solve real retail problems, backed by the connected data and systems needed to make it useful.":1,"#The question isn’t whether AI belongs in the future of telecom retail. It’s where it can make a meaningful difference in your business today.":1,"#Ready to cut through the AI noise?":1,"#AI fatigue isn’t a reason to disengage. It’s a reason to get better at filtering the noise.":1,"#Knowledge is table stakes now. Wisdom is still the differentiator.":1,"#AI can give you more information, more options, and more ways to move faster than ever before. But more isn’t always better. Someone still has to decide what matters, what’s worth pursuing, and when the right answer is to do nothing at all.":1,"#The businesses that come out ahead won’t necessarily be the ones that adopted the most AI or adopted it the fastest. They’ll be the ones that knew where AI could create a real advantage and had the fundamentals in place to make it work: clean data, connected systems, clear use cases, and a healthy dose of skepticism about what’s proven versus what’s promised. That pattern is already showing up in <a ljsid-1=\"\">our mid-year look at the five telecom retail predictions for <span ljsid-1-1=\"\">2026</span></a>.":1,"#Maybe it will. But your job isn’t to predict every turn the technology will take. It’s to make good decisions about what deserves your attention today.":1,"#AI isn’t going away, and neither is the noise around it. There will always be a newer model, a bigger promise, or another headline telling you that everything is about to change.":1,"#The filter that matters":1,"#The goal isn’t to have the most AI. It’s to have the right AI for the job.":1,"#Instead of asking which AI is the most powerful, ask which one is powerful enough for the problem you’re trying to solve. Then look at what it costs to run, how quickly it responds, how easily it integrates, and whether you actually need everything else you’re paying for.":1,"#The same thinking applies to AI. It’s easy to assume that the biggest, most powerful model must be the best choice, but your business probably doesn’t need the most sophisticated AI available for every task. A smaller or more specialized model may be faster, less expensive, and perfectly capable of doing the job you actually need it to do.":1,"#You wouldn’t buy a Ferrari to be your grocery getter. Sure, it can get you to the store, but you’re paying for a whole lot of horsepower you’ll never use.":1,"#<span ljsid-0=\"\">5</span>. Bigger isn’t always better.":1,"#Those questions need answers before deployment, not after something goes wrong.":1,"#Any AI system touching customer data or payment information inherits the same compliance obligations as everything else in your stack, and it can introduce new questions along the way. Where is the data processed? Who can access it? Is it retained? What happens after a model uses it?":1,"#It was recently reported that one of Meta’s AI models hacked another company during cybersecurity testing after a configuration error gave it access to the internet. So don’t assume AI will always stay within the boundaries you intended.":1,"#<span ljsid-0=\"\">4</span>. Security and compliance don’t get a pass because it’s AI.":1,"#There’s nothing wrong with experimenting at the edge. Just don’t confuse an experiment with a business case.":1,"#Knowing where that line sits matters. Before putting budget behind an AI initiative, ask whether you’re investing in a problem the technology can reliably solve today or betting on what someone says it will be able to solve tomorrow.":1,"#Then there’s the other end of the spectrum: fully autonomous customer service, self-managing storefronts, and the promise of AI running entire parts of your business with little human involvement. Those ideas may become reality, but there’s a big difference between what AI can demonstrate and what you can depend on it to do every day.":1,"#Some of the most useful applications aren’t the ones making headlines. Inventory forecasting, commission and performance tracking, and fraud detection in payments are already putting AI to work on real problems retailers deal with every day. For more practical examples, see <a ljsid-1=\"\">How to Introduce AI Into Your Wireless Retail Tech Stack</a>.":1,"#You don’t have to swing for the fences to get value from AI.":1,"#<span ljsid-0=\"\">3</span>. Some AI use cases are already proven. Others aren’t.":1,"#Because the smartest AI in the world can’t act on information it can’t see.":1,"#That’s why integration matters as much as the AI itself. <a ljsid-1=\"\">Interconnected Commerce</a> is one way to think about the underlying challenge: connecting the systems, data, and vendors your business already relies on. Before getting caught up in which model is smarter or which platform has the newest capabilities, ask a much less exciting question: can it actually talk to the systems where my business runs?":1,"#The retailers seeing real results from AI aren’t necessarily the ones using the most sophisticated models. They’re the ones whose systems are connected enough to give AI a clear picture of what’s actually happening across the business. For a deeper look at why smarter individual channels still fail when they remain disconnected, read <a ljsid-1=\"\">AI Made Every Telecom Channel Smarter – So Why Does the Customer Experience Still Feel Broken?</a>":1,"#AI doesn’t work in a vacuum. You can have the best forecasting tool on the market, but if it can’t see what was sold online, what’s sitting in stores, what’s coming from suppliers, and what’s already been promised to customers, how good can that forecast really be?":1,"#<span ljsid-0=\"\">2</span>. Integration decides the outcome, not the algorithm.":1,"#Before asking what AI can do with your data, make sure you can trust the data you’re giving it.":1,"#AI can help you make decisions faster, but first it needs an accurate picture of your business. If the underlying data is incomplete, inconsistent, or disconnected, AI doesn’t magically make it reliable. It just starts making decisions based on a version of your business that isn’t quite real.":1,"#Most AI initiatives don’t fail because the model isn’t capable. They fail because the data feeding it is fragmented across systems that were never built to talk to each other. In retail, that might mean inventory that doesn’t reconcile across channels, customer data trapped in disconnected POS systems, or commission data three systems removed from the storefront.":1,"#Garbage in, garbage out. It’s an old saying in technology, but AI hasn’t made it any less true.":1,"#<span ljsid-0=\"\">1</span>. Your data has to be ready first.":1,"#Five things that are actually urgent":1,"#When the technology changes enough to change the decision, you can make a new one.":1,"#It’s an interesting debate, but if you’re deciding what technology to invest in today, it’s probably not a useful planning input. Your business still has to operate today. Make decisions based on what AI can reliably do now, understand what’s coming next, and leave the AGI countdown to everyone else.":1,"#AGI, or artificial general intelligence, is the idea of AI that can think, learn, and perform across a broad range of tasks at or beyond human capability. Will we get there in two years, five years, or twenty? Ask ten people in AI and you’ll probably get ten different answers.":1,"#You don’t need to predict the future to make a good decision today.":1,"#<span ljsid-0=\"\">5</span>. AGI timeline predictions.":1,"#If the demo is impressive but those answers aren’t clear, you’re looking at potential, not an implementation plan.":1,"#A polished AI demo can make almost anything look transformative, but the real test comes when the rubber meets the road, or in this case, when that technology meets your systems. Ignore the brochure talking points and figure out how it plugs into what you already have. What needs to change? What happens when something goes wrong? And most importantly, what measurable problem does it actually solve?":1,"#Every demo looks great when everything goes according to plan. The data is clean, the systems cooperate, and nobody asks the question that breaks the workflow. Your business probably doesn’t work like that.":1,"#<span ljsid-0=\"\">4</span>. Vendor demos without operational context.":1,"#Producing ten times as much generic content simply because you can is very different from using AI to get ten times more leverage from ideas that are actually worth sharing.":1,"#That speed can be incredibly valuable. With the right workflows, a small team can produce far more high-quality work than it could before. But volume alone isn’t the strategy. The advantage comes when AI helps scale original thinking, expertise, and a clear understanding of what your audience actually needs.":1,"#Quality over quantity. Have you ever asked AI about something you know really well, only to find yourself correcting the answer? Now apply that to your business. AI doesn’t magically fix weak thinking, bad information, or a broken process. It just helps you produce the output faster.":1,"#<span ljsid-0=\"\">3</span>. Content volume as an AI strategy.":1,"#Full autonomy is a direction worth watching and building toward. It’s just not something most businesses should plan around as though it has already arrived.":1,"#That doesn’t mean agents aren’t useful. They are. Today, they’re at their best when the job is specific, the outcome can be checked, and a person remains somewhere in the loop. If businesses could get burned by relatively simple customer-service automation, handing agents substantially more autonomy should come with substantially more scrutiny.":1,"#Agents are getting more capable, but there’s still a meaningful gap between capability and autonomy. Remember Air Canada’s chatbot? It gave a customer incorrect information about the airline’s bereavement-fare policy, and Air Canada was ultimately held responsible for it. And that was a chatbot answering a question. Now imagine giving an AI the ability to take action across multiple systems, make decisions, and carry out a long workflow with little or no supervision.":1,"#<span ljsid-0=\"\">“</span>Technological progress has merely provided us with more efficient means for going backwards.” — Aldous Huxley":1,"#<span ljsid-0=\"\">2</span>. Fully autonomous agents.":1,"#<span ljsid-0=\"\">“</span>AI-powered” has become the default addition to almost every software pitch, but the label tells you very little about what you’re actually getting. The more useful question is: what does this AI enable me to do that I couldn’t do before? If you can’t find a clear answer, I’d wager that, much like that <span ljsid-2=\"\"></span><span ljsid-4=\"\">“</span>contains real fruit juice” label, you’re probably getting a lot of filler.":1,"#<span ljsid-0=\"\">“</span>AI-powered” is the software equivalent of a food label that says <span ljsid-2=\"\"></span><span ljsid-4=\"\">“</span>contains real fruit juice.” It’s there to make you feel like you’re making the right choice, but a splash of fruit doesn’t necessarily make something worth the squeeze. The same goes for AI.":1,"#<span ljsid-0=\"\">1</span>. <span ljsid-2=\"\"></span><span ljsid-4=\"\">“</span>AI-powered” as a feature label.":1,"#Five things to ignore (for now)":1,"#That fatigue is fair. Not every AI headline is a decision you need to make this quarter. Here’s a filter: five things you can safely tune out for now, and five things you actually can’t ignore.":1,"#Every keynote, every vendor deck, every analyst report says the same thing: AI is going to change everything about commerce and retail. For the people actually running these businesses, that message has stopped feeling like insight and started feeling like noise. It’s everywhere, it’s urgent, and most of it doesn’t actually tell you what to do on Monday morning.":1,"#by <span ljsid-1=\"\">Ryan Benoit</span> on Sep <span ljsid-3=\"\">9</span>, <span ljsid-5=\"\">2026</span> in <a ljsid-7=\"\"> Intelligent Commerce </a> <a ljsid-9=\"\"> Customer Experience </a> <a ljsid-11=\"\"> AI in Telecom Retail </a>":1,"#by <span ljsid-1=\"\">Stephanie Boyle</span> on Jun <span ljsid-3=\"\">11</span>, <span ljsid-5=\"\">2020</span> in <a ljsid-7=\"\"> Customer Experience </a>":1,"#by Courtney Miller, Market Research and Intelligence Analyst on Feb <span ljsid-1=\"\">28</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2025</span>":1,"#.NET 4.7.1":1,"#We have provided some hardware picks to help guide your set-up process. With these picks and any hardware, our Support Team will make every effort to ensure a device gets setup successfully in RQ. However, due to the vast amount of Hardware available in the market, we cannot guarantee compatibility with RQ.":1,"#Disclaimer About Our Picks":1,"#Microsoft Surface Series (with Windows <span ljsid-1=\"\">11</span>)":1,"#Our Windows Tablet <a ljsid-1=\"\">Pick</a>":1,"#<strong ljsid-0=\"\">Note:</strong> Many payment terminals include signature capture functionality.":1,"#<strong ljsid-0=\"\">Topaz </strong>Siglite <span ljsid-2=\"\">1</span>×<span ljsid-4=\"\">5</span>":1,"#Our Receipt Paper <a ljsid-1=\"\">Pick</a>":1,"#Many of our customers use Epson receipt printers with RQ, particularly Epson TM-M<span ljsid-1=\"\">30</span> or Epson T<span ljsid-3=\"\">88</span>V models.":1,"#iQ Terminal Setup Guide":1,"#To learn more about setup and configuration, please refer to the":1,"#Many of our customers use Zebra and Epson-brand label printers with RQ.":1,"#Our Label Printer <a ljsid-1=\"\">Picks</a>":1,"#HID <span ljsid-1=\"\">4500</span> U.Are.U Fingerprint Reader":1,"#Our <a ljsid-1=\"\">Pick</a>":1,"#APG Series Cash Drawers":1,"#Our <a ljsid-1=\"\"><strong ljsid-1-0=\"\">Pick</strong></a>":1,"#Many of our clients successfully use Zebra-branded Barcode scanners with RQ.":1,"#Socket Mobile CHS":1,"#Our Barcode Scanner <a ljsid-1=\"\">Pick</a>":1,"#+ workstations by Windows Update, but can be manually downloaded":1,"#and newer. In most cases, this is automatically installed Windows":1,"#Runtime is required to run RQ":1,"#Microsoft Office <span ljsid-1=\"\">2010</span> Standard<sup ljsid-3=\"\"><span ljsid-3-0=\"\">3</span></sup>":1,"#Multi":1,"#To learn more about setup and configuration, please refer to the <a ljsid-1=\"\">iQ Reader Setup Guide</a>.":1,"#The iQ Reader supports tap, chip, and swipe transactions and is fully EMV-certified, ensuring compliance and security while offering customers a smooth payment experience. <a ljsid-1=\"\">Click here</a> to learn more about the iQ Reader.":1,"#In addition to shared EMV-capable payment terminals, RQmobile users can take advantage of the <strong ljsid-1=\"\">iQ Reader</strong> through <strong ljsid-3=\"\">iQ Pay</strong>. This compact, mobile-first device connects seamlessly with RQmobile to provide a convenient and secure checkout experience.":1,"#iQ Pay Terminals for RQmobile":1,"#RQmobile supports iQ Pay through the iQ Reader and Remote Pay. For non-iQ Pay devices, RQmobile v<span ljsid-1=\"\">2</span>.<span ljsid-3=\"\">1</span>+ can utilize any payment terminal connected to an RQ workstation to complete transactions. All devices are EMV (chip and PIN) capable and include card swipe and pin pad. This shared-terminal feature is available to all customers who subscribe to the <a ljsid-5=\"\">Remote Terminal Solutions Package</a>.":1,"#<a ljsid-0=\"\">https://www.iqmetrix.com/inter…</a>Cash Drawers":1,"#The rapid changes in retail overall have caused wireless retailers to already adapt their daily operations. But with today’s landscape showing little sign of returning to the normal we knew, investing in alternative retail tactics will prove successful in the long-term.":1,"#Even with safe and effective methods of going about their day, customers may still be feeling the pressures that come with COVID. This is an opportunity for your <a ljsid-1=\"\">business to recognize these feelings and transition</a> operations towards something that eases the stress and reintroduces your business as a part of their life.":1,"#While omnichannel initiatives are optimal for effectively managing inventory to <span ljsid-1=\"\"></span><span ljsid-3=\"\">“</span><a ljsid-4=\"\">establish a seamless connection capable of meeting customers’ stock demands in a more ideal manner</a>,” the customer experience can also become a point of digital connection. This report states that engaging in social media helps to lock onto consumer demands at key moments.":1,"#We know wireless is an in-person industry with activations, repairs, troubleshooting, and upgrades being just a few of the services needed by wireless customers. Curb-side pickup, drop ship fulfillment, and buy-online, pick-up in-store models are just a few processes that reduce the consumer’s need to spend a lot of time in your store, while still satisfying their wireless ask.":1,"#Social media pages and chat functions can act as your online meeting place, where customers come to buy, browse, ask questions of your team — like they would in-store, only digitally. Facilitating this community helps to circumvent the worry that customers are shopping less or (worse) shopping elsewhere.":1,"#All of these demands require a robust and integration-ready retail management platform with a team of experts who can assist your associates and management employees with technological on-boarding. Your software should bear the brunt when it comes to rolling out these new processes so you can focus on safe and profitable wireless retail.":1,"#For wireless retail customers, <a ljsid-1=\"\">experience is everything</a>. Whether they are activating a device, renewing their contract, or finding the accessory of their dreams, each shopping trip for wireless consumers was an extended one.":1,"#Want to learn more about the state of wireless retail and what your store can do to compete and win against COVID-<span ljsid-1=\"\">19</span>? Watch this expert-led webinar that dives into the complexities of <span ljsid-3=\"\">2020</span> and what it all means for telecom.":1,"#Online connections not only fill the space where physical retail once was, it also acts as a bridge to connect the interpersonal gap between businesses and their customers so that when in-store retail makes its triumphant return, shoppers know exactly where they’re stopping first.":1,"#Touch-free touchpoints":1,"#In a socially distanced world, retailers must be cognizant of the hesitation even their most loyal customers will have to return to the physical store. Providing contactless methods of shopping opens the door to safer purchase practices and answers the call of the behavioral shifts happening today, tomorrow, and into the future. Purchase patterns are evolving faster and more drastically than they ever have before, and organizations that want to stay in the game should act accordingly.":1,"#It’s not just about NFC (touchless) payments anymore. Instead, contactless retail refers to the entire retail process a customer goes through on their path to purchase.":1,"#Not sure where to start? That’s okay! First things first, keep <span ljsid-1=\"\"></span><span ljsid-3=\"\">“</span>contactless” at the forefront of every idea; how can you get a product from your backroom to a consumer’s hands with as little physical touch as possible?":1,"#The successful execution of <span ljsid-1=\"\"></span><span ljsid-3=\"\">“</span>contactless” retail is dependent on the foundation on which it will stand. Prioritizing e-commerce means there is a need for sophisticated order and inventory management and fulfillment systems to not oversell or overstock. Appointment scheduling would be a valuable tool for protecting the safety of everyone, should customers need to come into the store (think about the activation process). And we can’t forget about the acronyms: BOPIS, ROPIS, and ISPU all require changes to the buying process.":1},"version":5409}]