How Integrated IT and AI Help Growing Retailers

Small and midsize retailers face mounting pressure from rising customer expectations, tighter margins, and growing operational complexity across stores, channels, and endpoints. While 57% of retail SMBs are actively investing in AI software and SaaS to boost operational efficiency (55%) and reduce costs (50%), aging infrastructure and budget constraints (cited by 75% of retailers) frequently stall adoption. Furthermore, with 83% of organizations experiencing a cyberattack in the past year and 68% recognizing that maturing AI initiatives require private, on-premises, or edge infrastructure, retailers need modernization paths that remain practical for lean IT teams.  

This infographic from Dell Technologies, Intel, and Microsoft illustrates how standardizing on an integrated technology foundation delivers measurable returns without increasing IT burden. By combining NPU-optimized Dell AI PCs powered by Intel® Core™ Ultra processors, Windows 11 Pro, Intel® vPro remote manageability, and Azure edge architectures, growing retailers can achieve up to a 71% three-year ROI, provision store devices in under one minute, boost floor productivity by up to 46%, and reduce security incidents by up to 58%.

Key Highlights:

Strong Three-Year Modernization ROI: Modeled retail environments upgrading to modern, integrated technology stacks achieve up to a 71% return on investment over three years.

Accelerating SMB Retail AI Investment: 57% of retail SMBs are currently investing in AI software and SaaS, with high-performing organizations 2.4x more likely to apply AI across core operational decisions.

Efficiency and Cost Reduction Priorities: 55% of retailers cite operational efficiency as their top AI objective, while 50% prioritize cost reduction amid inflation and labor constraints and 50% link AI investment to employee satisfaction and retention.

Shift Toward Edge and On-Premises AI: 68% of organizations agree that maturing AI initiatives require private, on-premises, or edge infrastructure to maintain compliance, cost predictability, and performance.

Budget-Conscious Procurement Drivers: 75% of retail SMBs emphasize budget discipline when pursuing AI use cases, ranking cost (45%), performance and scalability (45%), and integration with existing environments (43%) as top decision factors.

Sub-Minute Store Device Provisioning: Cloud-based Windows deployment and centralized endpoint management enable retail IT teams to provision devices and applications in under one minute.

Up to 80% Fewer IT Helpdesk Calls: Combining Dell centralized management, Intel® vPro remote manageability, and Windows 11 significantly reduces routine store support tickets.

46% Higher Floor Employee Productivity: Equipping store associates with modern Dell AI-ready PCs powered by Intel® Core™ Ultra processors improves productivity by up to 46% and speeds up common retail workload processing by up to 42%.

50% Faster Multi-Step Store Workflows: Built-in Windows AI on NPU-optimized devices accelerates everyday retail decisions and reduces manual operational lag.

58% Reduction in Security Incidents: Modern Windows 11 Pro environments report up to 58% fewer security incidents compared to legacy systems, helping retailers counter rising cyber threats (experienced by 83% of organizations).

Chip-to-Cloud Retail Protection: Secured-core PCs, Microsoft Pluton, Intel® Hardware Shield, Windows Hello passwordless authentication, and Microsoft Defender for Business protect store endpoints and enable real-time loss prevention without added complexity.