Food retailers that want to win with shoppers by offering a range of Amazon-like capabilities have a friend in Tom Litchford, the head of worldwide business development for retail with Amazon Web Services (AWS). The veteran technology executive is an evangelist for the speed, flexibility and potential of cloud computing to transform food retailers operations following a year of unprecedented digital growth.
He may not seem like a friend at first glance, considering that AWS is part of Seattle-based Amazon, but Litchford makes a compelling case for why retailers should use the same technology to run their businesses that Amazon does.
The perception is sometimes that retailers dont want to work with us, which is totally the opposite of whats happening, says Litchford. We have thousands of retailers around the world that work with us. There are a few vocal grocers that are more competitive or inward-facing, but the customers that work with us are taking the long view. The most important thing they think about is not focusing on the competitive dynamic, but listening to their customers and doing what their customers are asking, and then giving their builders the ability to go solve those customer problems.
The aversion by some retailers is rooted in the view that doing business with AWS is the equivalent of providing financial support to a competitor.AWS is Amazon's smallest divisionwith annual revenues of $45.3 billion that represent 11.7% of Amazon's total revenues of $386 billion. However, AWS generates operating income of $13.5 billion that accountsfor 59% of Amazon's total operating income of $22.9 billion. With AWS driving profits, Amazon is able to build out a massive supply chain infrastructure to enable fast shipping for Prime membersor invest in emerging retail concepts such as Amazon Fresh that compete with traditional grocers.
That may be true, but Litchford maintains thatAWS offers retailers the ability to do the same things that Amazon does and he cites the following examples: product recommendation, fraud detection, demand forecasting, call center operations, and cashierless store experiences such as those found in Amazon Go stores.
We take the learnings from working with Amazons consumer business, and we offer them to all of our customers, notes Litchford. How we operate the Go stores, we dont hide that. We say, Heres how we did it, and heres the services we used.
In the case of the Go store, Amazon applied its customer-first lens to the issue of store experience and friction at the checkout. It knew the business outcome it wanted to achieve a cashierless experience and then focused on a technological solution.
We looked around and saw the technology that was emerging to solve that problem was computer vision, but there was no way at the time to take feeds from hundreds of cameras simultaneously and figure out what was going on, says Litchford.
What AWS did was develop a service called Amazon Kinesis Video Streams, which allows for the monitoring of a large number of video streams, and the management of the data generated so that a shopper can just walk out of a Go store after choosing products and receive a receipt minutes later.
We are always looking for where friction is in the shopper journey, observes Litchford.
Where Litchford sees friction these days is in the grocery e-commerce world. Shoppers rushed to use pickup and delivery services, but most grocers rely on manual pick processes in stores.
That model is not sustainable, asserts Litchford. They have to figure out how to get to more of the micro-fulfillment center architecture in place so they can apply more automation. We like to work backward from business outcomes. We work with our customers to figure out what their challenges are, and try to apply technology to solve the problem There is so much today that we can do. Technology has finally made it easier, less complex and cost-effective.
That wasnt the case when Litchford began his career. Growing up in the 70s and taking computer science classes in high school got him hooked on technology. Ive always been a geek, he admits. After graduating from Florida Atlantic University with a computer science degree, he went to work for NCR as a systems engineer at around the time that point-of-sale scanning technology was rolling out.
When I started in the technology world, we had the ideas, but the technology was either cost-prohibitive or took too long to implement, recounts Litchford. If you had an idea, it could take 12 months to procure the hardware and software and get everything set up just to try a test.
He spent 18 years with NCR, followed by 13 years at Microsoft and five years at the National Retail Federation as VP of retail technologies, in which role he led the trade groups Chief Information Officer Council. He joined AWS in Nov.2017 as head of worldwide business development for retail, one of 22 industry verticals within the organization.
During that span, Litchford has been part of, and has had a front row seat for, a retail technology revolution, but its nothing like what he sees happening now, especially when it comes to speed and the capabilities available to retailers.
With AWS, you can have stuff up and running in an hour, he notes. You can be doing computer vision tests, voice tests, IoT stuff, just about any idea you have. We want to change the culture to a culture of experimentation.
Within the retail vertical he leads, retail is further broken down into three segments consisting of general merchandise; specialty retail, which includes fashion apparel and hardlines; and food and drug, which includes grocery, drug and convenience. To lead the food and drug group, Litchford recently hired Scott Langdoc as global lead of grocery, drug and convenience retail. Langdoc was previously CIO at West Sacramento, Calif.-based Raleys Supermarkets, and prior to that, he held the CTO role at Fujitsu and also led the retail practices at AMR, which became part of Gartner, and IDC.
Langdoc and Litchford have a unique perspective on food retailers technology challenges and are focused on cloud migration and modernization strategies, partner solutions and go-to-market capabilities suitable for all types of fast-moving consumer goods retailers.
Retailers at least over the course of my career dont do a good job of understanding consumers and the technology those consumers are using, and how that is changing their shopping behaviors, says Litchford. Another big problem retailers have is, data is siloed everywhere. So just getting to the point of being able to use machine learning, we have to figure out how we get this data in some single source of the truth, and clean it up.
See more here:
Why Grocers May Want To Join Amazon's Cloud - Progressive Grocer
- ISSCC 2024: Inside AMD's Zen 4cThe Area-Optimized Cloud Computing Core - News - All About Circuits - February 26th, 2024 [February 26th, 2024]
- Huawei Cloud: Infrastructure of Choice for AI with 10 Systematic Innovations Unveiled in MWC Barcelona 2024 - Morningstar - February 26th, 2024 [February 26th, 2024]
- Cybersecurity fears drive a return to on-premise infrastructure from cloud computing - Help Net Security - February 26th, 2024 [February 26th, 2024]
- Cybersecurity fears drive a return to on-premise infrastructure from cloud computing - HealthLeaders Media - February 26th, 2024 [February 26th, 2024]
- Huawei Cloud: Infrastructure of Choice for AI with 10 Systematic Innovations Unveiled in MWC Barcelona 2024 - PR Newswire - February 26th, 2024 [February 26th, 2024]
- South Korea Boosts Cloud Computing with $91.5 Million Investment to Propel AI and SaaS Innovation - BNN Breaking - February 26th, 2024 [February 26th, 2024]
- Science ministry to invest 121.9 bln won in cloud computing industry - Yonhap News Agency - February 26th, 2024 [February 26th, 2024]
- Why Microsoft is spending billions on AI and cloud computing in Europe - ITPro - February 26th, 2024 [February 26th, 2024]
- Universities Migrate Research Computing to the Cloud - EdTech Magazine: Focus on K-12 - February 26th, 2024 [February 26th, 2024]
- Top Cloud Computing Skills You Need to Know in 2024 - Simplilearn - February 26th, 2024 [February 26th, 2024]
- Best Cloud Tools of 2024: Unleash Maximum Productivity - Simplilearn - February 26th, 2024 [February 26th, 2024]
- Real-time Analytics News for the Week Ending February 24 - RTInsights - February 26th, 2024 [February 26th, 2024]
- Synadia Raises $25 Million Series B Funding to Meet Massive Demand for Multi-cloud and Edge Computing Driven by AI - PR Newswire - February 26th, 2024 [February 26th, 2024]
- CEO Outlook 2024: 20 Solution Providers On The Cloud Moment - CRN - February 26th, 2024 [February 26th, 2024]
- DigitalOcean beats expectations under the helm of new CEO Paddy Srinivasan - SiliconANGLE News - February 26th, 2024 [February 26th, 2024]
- Securing Kubernetes in a Cloud Native World - The New Stack - February 26th, 2024 [February 26th, 2024]
- How to Build a Chat Interface using Gradio & Vultr Cloud GPU SitePoint - SitePoint - February 26th, 2024 [February 26th, 2024]
- Microsoft to invest $2.1bn in cloud and AI infrastructure in Spain - DatacenterDynamics - February 26th, 2024 [February 26th, 2024]
- Stannah looks to enterprise cloud software to lift IT systems - ComputerWeekly.com - February 26th, 2024 [February 26th, 2024]
- AI vendor finds opportunity amid AI computing problem - TechTarget - February 26th, 2024 [February 26th, 2024]
- Nvidia Worth More Than Alphabet, Amazon - 24/7 Wall St. - February 26th, 2024 [February 26th, 2024]
- VIB spearheads banking innovation with deployment of Temenos Banking Platform on AWS cloud - VnExpress International - February 26th, 2024 [February 26th, 2024]
- Why These 7 Cloud Computing Stocks Should be on Your Radar in 2024 - InvestorPlace - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- IBM to Buy Software AG's Cloud Computing and AI Assets for $2.3BN - Investopedia - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- Pass the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Certification in One Week - Medium - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- 3 Cloud Computing Stocks You'll Regret Not Buying Soon: December Edition - InvestorPlace - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- Cloud Computing Market Predicted to Hit US$1,266.4 Billion by 2028 - TechiExpert.com - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- AWS chief Adam Selipsky talks generative AI, Amazon's investment in Anthropic and cloud cost-cutting - Omaha World-Herald - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- Mangata Networks and Microsoft Partner on AI-enabled Edge Cloud Connectivity - AiThority - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- Democratization of Cloud vs AI: A Case Study - Medium - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- 5 Drivers Behind the Growth of the GPU Cloud Computing Market - Visual Capitalist - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- Report: AWS to reorganize sales teams amid slowing cloud revenue growth - SiliconANGLE News - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- Don't underestimate vulnerabilities in the cloud. Adopt hybrid to stay protected - Best Enterprise Data Storage Software ... - Solutions Review - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- Innovations, disruptions, transformations expected in 2024 Intelligent CIO Middle East - Intelligent CIO - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- IBM makes $2B+ deal to add more AI, cloud computing solutions - WRAL TechWire - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- How to Select the Right Industry Cloud for Your Business - How to Select the Right Industry Cloud for Your Business - InformationWeek - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- Cloud Computing Market Set to Reach US$1,266.4 Billion by 2028 - Analytics Insight - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- Cisco to Acquire Isovalent to Secure Cloud-Native Networking - Channel E2E - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- Cloud-native applications: Unlocking the potential of scalability and agility - ETCIO - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- Year-in-Review: 2023 Was a Turning Point for Microservices - The New Stack - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- If AI is the future, radiology needs to look to the cloud - Health Imaging - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- AI and Cloud: The Proving Ground for Regulatory Resilience in 2024 - Finextra - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- Cognata Redefines Sensor Suite Selection Processes Through Digital Twin-based Sensor Simulation and Cloud ... - PR Newswire - December 25th, 2023 [December 25th, 2023]
- Microsoft and Amazon the focus of cloud computing probe - Proactive Investors USA - October 5th, 2023 [October 5th, 2023]
- Cloud cover benefits of being on the cloud - The Actuary - October 5th, 2023 [October 5th, 2023]
- AI, Cloud Computing among 36 FREE Online Courses Now ... - Philippine Information Agency - October 5th, 2023 [October 5th, 2023]
- Amazon Web Services isn't trying to win the A.I. race. It wants to own the road. - Slate - July 31st, 2023 [July 31st, 2023]
- The Machines Behind the FinOps Curtain: Operationalizing Your Strategy with AI - ITPro Today - July 31st, 2023 [July 31st, 2023]
- Strengthening security in a multi-SaaS cloud environment - TechCrunch - July 31st, 2023 [July 31st, 2023]
- Oracle Introduces First Cloud Native Secure Cloud Computing ... - PR Newswire - July 31st, 2023 [July 31st, 2023]
- The Power of Cloud Computing: How it's Transforming Database ... - Fagen wasanni - July 31st, 2023 [July 31st, 2023]
- From Headquarters to the Edge: The Future of Cloud in the Defense ... - MeriTalk - July 31st, 2023 [July 31st, 2023]
- 6 Cloud Computing Companies Navigating the Digital Storm in 2023 - GovCon Wire - July 31st, 2023 [July 31st, 2023]
- Government Cloud Computing Market Size, Status and Business ... - University City Review - July 31st, 2023 [July 31st, 2023]
- Cloud Computing in Education Market Forecast, 2023-2029: The ... - University City Review - July 31st, 2023 [July 31st, 2023]
- Global Cloud Computing IaaS In Life Science Market Size and ... - University City Review - July 31st, 2023 [July 31st, 2023]
- What is the Relationship Between IoT and Cloud Computing? - Analytics Insight - July 31st, 2023 [July 31st, 2023]
- How Data Center Interconnect Platforms are Shaping the Future of ... - Fagen wasanni - July 31st, 2023 [July 31st, 2023]
- Revolutionizing IoT: How 5G and Cloud Computing are ... - Fagen wasanni - July 31st, 2023 [July 31st, 2023]
- The Future of Cloud Computing: Database as a Service (DBaaS) in ... - Fagen wasanni - July 31st, 2023 [July 31st, 2023]
- Overcoming Data Privacy Challenges in the European Cloud ... - Fagen wasanni - July 31st, 2023 [July 31st, 2023]
- The Future of Telemedicine in India: How Cloud Computing is ... - Fagen wasanni - July 31st, 2023 [July 31st, 2023]
- Multi-Cloud and Hybrid Cloud: What is the Difference? - Analytics Insight - July 31st, 2023 [July 31st, 2023]
- A New Era of Data Management: The Growing Importance of Global ... - Fagen wasanni - July 31st, 2023 [July 31st, 2023]
- From niche to necessity: GFT's vision for cloud computing ... - Business Leader - July 31st, 2023 [July 31st, 2023]
- ERP, Cloud Computing And Digital Transformation - CIOReview - July 31st, 2023 [July 31st, 2023]
- UMD Smith Offers New January Start Date for MS in Information ... - Newswise - July 31st, 2023 [July 31st, 2023]
- The Impact of Global White-box Server Adoption on Cloud ... - Fagen wasanni - July 31st, 2023 [July 31st, 2023]
- Global Application Transformation: Unlocking the Potential of Cloud ... - Fagen wasanni - July 31st, 2023 [July 31st, 2023]
- BFSI Sector and Asia-Pacific Spearhead the Rapid Growth of Cloud ... - GlobeNewswire - July 31st, 2023 [July 31st, 2023]
- Amazon is investing another $7.8B in Ohio-based cloud computing operations, state leaders say - The Associated Press - June 28th, 2023 [June 28th, 2023]
- Google Cloud Platform: Everything you need to know about Google's suite of cloud computing services - Android Police - June 28th, 2023 [June 28th, 2023]
- Amazon is investing another $7.8B in Ohio-based cloud computing ... - Wilmington News Journal, OH - June 28th, 2023 [June 28th, 2023]
- 11 Key Executives in the Cloud Computing Industry in 2023 - Executive Gov - June 28th, 2023 [June 28th, 2023]
- 10 Multi-Cloud Myths Debunked: Exposing the Facts - TechFunnel - June 28th, 2023 [June 28th, 2023]
- How MTN and Microsoft will transform business operations with ... - TheCable - June 28th, 2023 [June 28th, 2023]
- The Power of Cloud Computing: Revolutionizing Business and IT ... - Tech Critter - June 28th, 2023 [June 28th, 2023]
- FTC Collecting Comments On Cloud Computing, CCIA Offers Input ... - Computer and Communications Industry Association - June 28th, 2023 [June 28th, 2023]
- How AI and Cloud Computing Are Revolutionizing the Insurance ... - Techopedia - June 28th, 2023 [June 28th, 2023]
- HPE Discover final analysis: Navigating the cloud computing ... - SiliconANGLE News - June 28th, 2023 [June 28th, 2023]