2021 Global CIO Report: Retail

How to transform the way teams work to improve collaboration and drive better business outcomes

The last 12 months have challenged retailers like never before. National lockdowns left many bricks-and-mortar retailers unable to trade for months at a time. Out of lockdown, social distancing requirements continued to impact in-person trading. Conversely, many online-only retailers saw demand spike. Some even saw their online operations start to creak under the pressure. The result has been an urgent need to rapidly pivot go-to-market strategies and accelerate digital transformation.

Digital capabilities are no longer a nice to have, they are a business imperative. Consumers expect connected experiences and innovation. But this is increasing the pressure on IT teams to deliver innovation. Already stretched retail IT teams need to find new ways to collaborate with the wider business if they want to keep up and deliver the outcomes that are expected in 2021.