Walk into a big-box retail store today and you’ll see how connected products are changing the way we shop. From self-checkout lanes to mobile apps and AI-powered systems, technology is now built into the retail experience. 

For customers, technology speeds up checkout lines and makes shopping trips convenient. 

For employees, tech simplifies daily tasks and automates manual processes. 

Ring it up and tech makes retail efficient while gaining insights into what customers want.

Here’s how three leading retailers use connected products to set a new standard in retail.

1. Target's Point-of-Sale System: Enhancing Shopping With Apps and Integrated Registers and Mobile Ordering Devices

Target’s point-of-sale (POS) system connects everything: registers, self-checkouts, employees’ handheld devices, in-store kiosks, and the store’s mobile app. The result? An up-to-date network where every piece works together seamlessly, supporting the shopping experience and store operations.

Target’s POS ecosystem equips employees with tools that keep them informed and proactive, including:

• Live data access: Employees using handheld devices can access live inventory data and answer customer questions on the spot, without leaving the sales floor.
  
  
• Distributed tracing: Distributed tracing is a method of tracking the flow of data and interactions across multiple devices. Using distributed tracing can reveal flows through various services — e.g., from website interaction to inventory checks, payment processing, and order fulfillment. This helps identify bottlenecks or errors in the transaction process.

These benefits extend to customers, who enjoy a more seamless and responsive shopping experience through having consistent touchpoints with the brand, no matter the location or device.

Target customers specifically benefit from:

• App-to-store integration: Target customers can start their shopping list on Target’s mobile app and finish their purchase in-store, making it easy to plan shopping trips and get through the store quickly.
  
  
• Faster service: Interconnected devices help checkout lines move quickly and ensure sales floor assistance is readily available.
  
  
• Line-busting: Employees can use handheld devices to run transactions, allowing customers to skip long lines when making small purchases.

When Tech Misses the Target

While Target’s system is a strong example of what’s possible in retail innovation, it’s not always perfect. For example, in a Reddit post titled "POS Printers Error," one Target employee asks if others "have their POS printer go out all the time? It happens to at least 1–2 registers a day, where it will just say 'device error occurred' when printing receipt." The employee notes that the roll of receipt paper doesn't seem to be the problem, asking if anyone knows why this happens of how to fix the POS issue without restarting the cash register. One user suggested the printer error could be fixed by simply restarting the device manager.

In the case of new technology, customers must be educated — or risk being confused. For example, one customer who received the line-busting treatment had not heard of the service. They noted, "We were standing in the checkout line and there was a person with a target outfit on standing by, and he said he could make it quicker by doing some of our orders now." They worried someone had posed as a Target employee to steal their credit card info.

Target also offers shoppers in-store kiosks to conduct price checks and perform on-the-fly research. Unfortunately, they don't always work, as was the case in the kiosk below, which displayed a "GuestKiosk API" error (an inability to connect to guestkioskkv1.prodtarget.com). In this case, the error screen on the kiosk offered a passerby the option to perform a "health check," but this diagnostic offered no ability to follow up or troubleshoot further.

Notably, no other kiosks in the store seemed to be in the same state of malfunction.

Finally, even the most robust technology doesn't always perform as expected. One shopper arrived at their local Target only to find that the card reader wasn't working at most of the checkout lanes. On going back to the store nearly 12 hours later, the issue had yet to be resolved. On asking, the shopper was told that every malfunctioning card reader needed to be replaced. Given an average Target should pull in >$100K/revenue daily, imagine the cost of a faulty credit card reader.

No matter how excellent the technology, Murphy's Law is always in play: "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong."

2. Walmart: Empowering Shoppers With Mobile Scanning

As one of the most influential retailers in the world, Walmart adopts emerging technology to differentiate its stores from others and take advantage of cost-savings along the way. 

For example, take Walmart+, its membership program. Walmart+ pairs connected product technology with a subscription model to deliver a faster and more flexible shopping experience. Inside the Walmart app, Walmart+ customers find a “Scan & Go” feature that lets them scan items with their phones while shopping in-store. They can then pay online, skipping checkout lines entirely. 

Walmart+ membership also offers benefits like free grocery delivery and fast shipping on other items, so busy shoppers and families can more flexibly manage household needs.

Customers appreciate the independence of selecting and paying for items on their own schedule, whether in-store or online. This multimodal approach is what helps Walmart compete with digital-native retailers like Amazon.

On the operations side, Walmart+ simplifies workflows and generates valuable insights through customer usage data, leading to benefits like:

• Efficiency gains: With fewer customers using physical checkout lanes, Walmart employees are free to focus on tasks like restocking shelves or assisting shoppers on the floor.
  
  
• Real-time insights: The data collected through mobile scanning helps Walmart better understand customer buying habits, fueling smarter inventory decisions.

Of course, as good as their technology is, even Walmart+ has its weak spots. Users have taken to Reddit to air their woes when: 

Deliveries go wrong

One customer describes a confusing customer service experience after a grocery delivery they scheduled through the app didn’t show up. In this case, the original delivery got cancelled and rescheduled, but the new delivery didn't show up, which brought the customer to reach out for support. A third delivery window was assigned ... and missed. This happened at least once or twice more, and it's unclear if the customer ever received the goods — though they did get frustrated enough by the experience to take it to Reddit:

Discounts don’t work as advertised

A Walmart+ member was excited to take advantage of a discounted account upgrade promoted to them via email. But when the member tried to purchase the upgrade through the app, it didn’t work. This led to a live chat with Walmart+ support, uninstalling and reinstalling the Walmart+ app, and when that didn't work, filing an open ticket with support. In the comments, the user shares the rest of the story, "Three weeks later someone at Walmart from a no-reply address responded to the support ticket, sending me a link to take advantage of the deal extended just for my account. The link doesn't work." Turns out many others had the same problem as this user.

Ouch.

Walmart+ is a unique offering today, but it may not be tomorrow. Walmart must move quickly, addressing concerns as they arise, and evolve their use of technology to continue to meet ever higher customer expectations and compete with other retailers.

Sam’s Club: Smarter Loss Prevention With AI Archways

Wholesale retailer Sam’s Club has long stationed employees at its exits to check receipts as customers leave the store. Competitor Costco has a similar practice.

wHowever, things are changing. Sam’s Club has recently introduced AI-powered archways at store exits to verify purchases. These systems use machine vision to identify items in carts, ensuring everything matches the receipt. The approach is a novel way to validate the point-of-sale system while reducing risk of theft. 

The archways make for a smoother shopping experience too, creating a way for customers to easily exit without waiting in line for a manual receipt check. This approach not only saves time and labor costs but also improves loss prevention and reinforces customer loyalty, meeting shoppers’ expectations for an effortless experience.

Accelerating checkout is a real competitive differentiator. Similar to Walmart+, Sam’s Club also offers Scan & Go, a feature that adds another layer of ease for shoppers: Customers cite it as a key reason they choose Sam’s over other stores.

The road to fully autonomous AI archways is still under construction, with oversight from employees remaining an essential component for now. Current challenges include refining the system’s ability to handle edge cases, such as partially visible items or complex cart arrangements. Making the technology as accurate as possible will be crucial as Sam’s Club works toward a future where the archways can operate independently.

Why Should Big-Box Retailers Use Remote Monitoring and Management?

As retailers adopt more technology, they must also adopt systems to ensure their POS and other in-store technology operates smoothly. They require means to ensure hardware is updated with the latest firmware, software applications are up-to-date, peripheral devices remain integrated with PC controllers, network conditions and power sources remain stable — never mind backend integrations with inventory systems and other software. A breakdown in any component can ripple through the network, disrupting inventory management, checkout systems, and customer experiences. 

Using remote monitoring and management (RMM) software can help technical support teams manage the complexity of connected ecosystems, preventing disruptions, automating manual tasks, and deploying troubleshooting behind-the-scenes. Using RMM for POS systems and other retail connected products can help:

• Prevent downtime: RMM tools (like Canopy) proactively detect and resolve issues before they become customer-facing problems, ensuring smoother operations.
  
  
• Scale operations: When new technologies, like self-checkout kiosks, are rolled out, RMM tools simplify the onboarding process and keep everything synchronized across locations.
  
  
• Automate troubleshooting: From remote reboots to software updates, automation reduces the need for on-site intervention, saving time and resources. 

Canopy offers remote monitoring and management for connected products. Technical support teams at big-box retailers can use Canopy to securely implement cutting-edge connected products. Learn more about Canopy’s retail solutions.

By ensuring reliable performance across locations, retailers can focus on delivering the experiences customers demand.

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