Towards AI Platforms for Stationary Retail

A major challenge for stationary retail is the increasing digitization of business. While online retailers can increase their sales through data-driven AI applications, brick-and-mortar retailers are left behind because they have less data available due to their traditional physical stores. To bridge the gap between physical stores and online stores, in this paper, an AI platform that connects the digital world with stationary retail is proposed. A digital twin, which represents instances of physical stores in digital form, builds the core of the AI platform. The AI platform can enable digital business models, as well as sales and operations processes that have not been possible to date.