Retail Improving long-term resiliency and your ability to adapt Retail innovation and transformation has become the imperative for companies that want to remain relevant and competitive. Customer expectations and behaviors are driving incredible change across the retail sector. From the growth of ecommerce to an increased focus on omnichannel, environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues and the supply chain ecosystem, retail organizations face a vast number of challenges and opportunities.Protiviti helps retail organizations build supply chain resiliency, utilize data analytics to achieve market intelligence, and implement technology solutions and skillsets required for the adoption of new digital technologies — all while helping to meet growing customer and investor expectations around sustainability and social responsibility.Visit and subscribe to our Consumer Products & Retail newsletter. 2024 Top Risks in the Consumer Products and Services Industry The Consumer Products and Services industry group faces a long list of headwinds heading into 2024. Inflationary pressure, workforce attrition with talent gaps and protecting customers’ data are top on the list of major concerns weighing on the minds of senior executives in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) and retail industry group. Survey Report View Infographic What we do Industry top risks Our services Sectors we serve Insights Client stories Leadership Connect with us Our services for Retail companies Pro Rightmark Square Digital Transformation From supporting growth in e-commerce to replacing legacy applications, we assist retailers through every stage of digital transformation to enrich experiences for the customer journey. Through enterprise automation, we work with organizations to reduce operational costs, process times, and manual mistakes. Pro Document Stack Supply Chain Management We help analyze and optimize supply chains, building resilience into your supply chain while lowering costs. We focus on procurement, customs, distribution, and system development, utilizing intelligent automation to transform supply chains. Pro Briefcase Payment Solutions We follow industry trends closely and work with retailers to utilize emerging payment systems while mitigating fraud and managing risks. We help design an infrastructure that supports a secure and seamless omnichannel customer experience. Pro Legal Briefcase Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) We help develop an ESG strategy and roadmap to meet investor and customer expectations while minimizing negative impacts on the environment. From here, we build systems to monitor sustainability program objectives and to report comprehensively and transparently. Pro Document Consent Cloud and Emerging Technologies Protiviti helps retailers incorporate cloud and other emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), augmented reality (AR), and Internet of Things (IoT), to help scale on-demand, improve resiliency, and deploy solutions rapidly and securely. Pro Building office Data Privacy and Loyalty Programs With the fast growth of e-commerce and an expansion of loyalty programs, there has been an increase in concerns over data privacy. We help organizations build, assess, and strengthen data privacy programs and ensure compliance with the growing list of privacy regulations to protect customer trust. Pro Tools Gear Finance Transformation We drive retail finance transformation, from assessments through the execution of strategic initiatives to address the challenge now with a focus on the future of the enterprise. We provide solutions tailored to achieve your goals and provide a framework for continuous growth. Retailers Build resiliency. Leverage data analytics. Implement technology solutions. We help retailers including apparel and specialty, food, beverage and tobacco, restaurants and food service, and home furnishings sectors reach customers where they are through business transformation efforts focused on evolving customer needs. We work with retailers to implement tools and technologies, mitigate risk from loyalty programs and payments, and to offer a personalized customer experience. Build resiliency. Leverage data analytics. Implement technology solutions. BLOG Why Sales Transformations Fail and Critical Steps to Avoid Common Pitfalls The big picture: In today's virtual selling environment, revenue-aligned organizations must adopt a different mindset to drive successful sales transformations. Technology alone is not enough for successful digital transformation in sales; practical... SURVEY 2023 Consumer Packaged Goods and Retail Finance Trends CPG and retail finance leaders cite ESG, inflation and data security as top prioritiesWhether it is dealing with inflation, supply-chain disruptions or workforce challenges, finance leaders in the retail and consumer packaged goods (CPG) industries... BLOG Meeting Digital Retail's High Customer Expectations Means Being Clear-Eyed About Weaknesses, Capabilities The big picture: Today’s digital retail consumers have little tolerance for organizations that do not meet high customer service standards for accurate and timely fulfillment of orders. Transparent and real-time communications about order status have... BLOG How Strategic Workforce Planning Can Help Retailers Weather Ongoing Talent Crisis The big picture: The retail industry faces a labor crisis as workers leave for better work-life balance and incentives. Data shows high quit rates and a need for industry-experienced talent in management roles. Why it matters: The industry’s... INFOGRAPHIC CPG & Retail: The Innovation vs. Technical Debt Tug of War Protiviti's latest research shows that consumer packaged goods (CPG) and retail companies recognize the urgency of innovation and have a clear strategy to maximize the value of IT. Learn more about the industry results of Protiviti’s inaugural Global... WHITEPAPER The 5G Effect As the world advances into a more digitized and connected future, what can be learned from organizations that are successfully deploying 5G technology to enable business processes and efficiency. Where is 5G making the biggest difference in the real... Button Button Rural Lifestyle Retailer Builds Customer Loyalty With Enhanced CIAM Strategy Protiviti partnered with a rural lifestyle retailer client to assess its Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) program and architecture. Global Retailer Goes Digital: Revitalizing Store Operations and Enhancing Community Commitment Protiviti leveraged Microsoft Power BI to help this client transform its operational analytics. We built a user interface that generates analytics every 15 minutes and is easy to use with little training required. From staffing and sales targets to... Finance Transformation Sets Course for Future Success A U.S.-based global skincare company was unable to provide timely financial reporting and performance analytics to its key stakeholders and private equity sponsor. Protiviti partnered with the company’s CFO, VP of Finance, Controller, and key... Client story: Apparel company's 'Instagram project' Apparel company enhances key processes, customer experience using insights from shoppers’ digital sentimentsBusinesses generate vast amounts of data every single day, mostly so-called dark data or information that go unused. Long before the current... Global Chocolatier Adopts Privacy Technology to Prevent Data Exposure Data privacy has become a strategic priority as companies adapt to comply with rapidly proliferating data privacy laws. Recent years have seen the adoption of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the more recent California... A National Retailer Takes on Inventory Shrink to Improve Margins Protiviti created a transparent end-to-end process flow by identifying gaps and providing recommendations for improvement and savings. A data deep dive reviewed elements of sales, markdowns and shrink data and a statistical analyses of shrink,... Button Button Pro System Security Stay up-to-date on monthly industry news See the latest industry insights in our Consumer Products & Retail newsletter Learn More Pro Briefcase Consumer Products & Services - The Protiviti View Read Retail posts on The Protiviti View blog Read More Leadership Carol Raimo Carol Raimo is Protiviti's Global Consumer Products and Services Industry Lead and has over 36 years of consulting experience. She is responsible for setting the strategy to provide industry-specific solutions to clients as they transform their business. Strategic areas ... Learn More