Can human roles in retail survive the relentless march of the robots? Retail has enjoyed enormous benefits from technology tools over the decades, but has the time come when technology poses a threat to jobs? Here we present two possible scenarios for retail 2020-2025: one where automation eliminates the majority of retail jobs and a second which sees the emergence of new paid roles in retail.
Scenario one: Robo-retail rules
By 2020, retail robots guide customers and bring goods to the checkout, or your car. Artificial intelligence (AI) personal assistants like Siri and Alexa have become personal shoppers and allow retail algorithms to recommend the perfect item before shoppers even know they want it.
