How to turn your retail data into profit

By Scott Delahunty | 15 April 2026

Using data to act faster and smarter

The Retail industry has always been complex, but today that complexity is under greater pressure than ever. Rising costs across energy, logistics and labour are colliding with more cautious, better-informed customers who expect seamless experiences wherever they choose to engage. In this environment, multichannel retail is no longer a differentiator, it is simply the price of entry.

At the same time, retailers are generating vast amounts of data across their estates. Yet for many, that data still fails to translate into timely decisions or meaningful commercial value. Insight arrives too late, opportunities are missed and margin quietly erodes.

These challenges were the focus of Bistech’s recent webinar “Turn your retail data into profit”, hosted by Scott Delahunty. Scott was joined by Jesse Brett, Principal Consultant at Bistech, and Chris Thomas, Network and UC Practice Lead at Bistech. Together, they explored how retailers are using data and AI in practical, real-world ways to reduce friction, improve visibility and protect profit.

Not theory. Not hype. Just what works.

Watch: Turn your retail data into profit

The pressures shaping retail decision-making where “complexity kills efficiency”

Across conversations with retail leaders, three pressures consistently emerge. Operational complexity continues to grow across the retail estate, creating blind spots in data that delay or distort decision-making. At the same time, despite the attention artificial intelligence receives, many organisations remain unsure where it genuinely adds value.

Modern retail estates span stores, ecommerce platforms, contact centres, delivery partners, returns systems and legacy infrastructure built up over time. Every interaction generates data, but that data is rarely joined up.

“Most retailers have built systems to solve specific problems over the years,” explained Chris Thomas. “What that creates is complexity. And complexity kills efficiency.”

For customers, this fragmentation often shows up as inconsistency. Internally, it creates noise, slows teams down and makes it harder to see what is really happening across the business.

When complexity hides insight, margin suffers

Complexity becomes a serious issue when it starts to obscure the information that matters most. Without clear visibility, teams fall back on spreadsheets, gut feel or static reports that explain what went wrong after the fact. By the time issues appear in month-end reporting, the opportunity to act has often passed.

The retailers making real progress are taking a more focused approach.

“The practical starting point is identifying where complexity causes real pain,” said Jesse Brett. “Focus on the journeys that matter most and make sure the data behind them is consistent.”

That might be orders, deliveries, stock availability or customer queries. The aim is not perfect data everywhere, but trusted insight where it has the greatest impact.

One example shared during the session involved a high street retailer losing revenue due to ecommerce downtime during peak trading. Rather than rebuilding the entire platform, the focus was on identifying specific pressure points revealed by the data. Targeted modernisation quickly improved uptime and scalability, delivering a direct impact on sales.

The takeaway was simple. You do not need all data to be perfect. You need the right data to be visible.

Why hindsight reporting is no longer enough

Many retail teams are good at reporting, but far fewer are set up to act early enough to change outcomes.

“Timing is everything,” Chris said. “If you find out why something went wrong a week later, you have already lost that revenue.”

This is why leading retailers are shifting away from static reports and towards early warning signals. Near real-time visibility allows teams to spot issues as they emerge, not after they escalate.

“That shift turns you from reactive to proactive,” Chris explained. “You can fix problems while customers are still trying to buy.”

Jesse reinforced this point by reframing the role of reporting itself. “The danger is waiting for the perfect story at month end,” he said. “What matters more are signals that help people act today.”

AI is an amplifier, not a silver bullet

AI remains one of the most talked about, and misunderstood, topics in retail.

“There is a lot of hype around AI as a silver bullet,” said Chris. “In reality, AI amplifies what you already have. If the data is poor, the output will be poor.”

Retailers seeing genuine return are embedding AI into everyday processes where it removes friction and saves time. This includes supporting stock decisions, handling common customer queries, highlighting operational risks and helping teams focus their attention where it matters most.

Crucially, people remain in control. AI supports decision-making, it does not replace it.

Turning insight into advantage

The core message of the webinar was clear, turning retail data into profit is not about adding more dashboards or increasing complexity, but about reducing friction across the retail estate.

With clearer visibility, earlier intervention when issues emerge and practical automation that supports people rather than overwhelms them, retailers can act faster and protect margin.

Turning retail data into profit is about clarity, timing and focus, not more technology for its own sake. The retailers that succeed are those who remove friction, act earlier and use data and AI to support better decisions every day.

The full webinar explores these themes in far more depth, with real examples and audience questions that bring the discussion to life.

Interested in finding out more?

Discover how your data can drive faster decisions and stronger margins, book a call with our Data & AI experts.

Scott Delahunty, Head of Sales

Scott Delahunty leads sales at Bistech, focused on growth, positioning and how products and services are taken to market. He brings a people‑first approach built on insight, information sharing and a deep understanding of customer outcomes. Scott is passionate about reshaping sales teams as catalysts for change, supporting customers as IT evolves from reactive support to innovation and long‑term progress.