Top Factors that Companies Look for While Selecting a Retail Tech Platform

The retail and hospitality landscape are evolving rapidly. It’s no longer just about how today’s commerce ecosystem demands more than just a point-of-sale terminal or a siloed inventory dashboard. Businesses now need to streamline operations, unify systems, and build resilience across every touchpoint right from back-office functions to customer, customers shop or dine but it's equally about how brands operate behind the scenes facing experiences.

At Martlenz Knowledge Services, we recently collaborated with global retailers and hospitality brands for a multi-region study exploring the changing dynamics of retail tech platform. While the specific findings are confidential, the broader themes reveal a critical shift in thinking, Organizations are moving away from fragmented tech stacks toward unified, integrated commerce platforms.                    

 

Why Unified Platforms Are a Growing Priority?

Traditionally, retailers relied on a patchwork of specialized tools, a separate vendor for POS (Point of sale), another for inventory, and yet another for customer engagement. It worked for a while… until it didn’t.

The main issue? These systems rarely speak to each other efficiently. Businesses struggle with data silos, manual workarounds, and inconsistent customer experiences. These pain points are pushing brands toward single-suite platforms that manage everything, from loyalty and eCommerce to payments and performance analytics.

A Global Perspective, A Common Need

Whether it's a mid-sized retailer in Southeast Asia or a multi-country chain in Europe or North America, one pattern stood out, brands want tech that simplifies, scales, and supports digital transformation. This movement isn’t just about keeping up with the latest tech. It’s about building smarter businesses:

• Reducing costly errors from disconnected systems

• Lowering total cost of ownership by consolidating vendors

• Enabling faster, smarter decisions with real-time, centralized data

• Meeting cross-border compliance with minimal friction

In short, the shift from on-premises systems to cloud-based, integrated platforms is helping businesses streamline today and scale for tomorrow.

So, what are companies looking for when choosing a retail tech platform?

Our study investigated various factors including cost, user experience, scalability, and integration strength.

Notably, integration and scalability were ranked higher than initial cost. This means that businesses are thinking long-term, investing in systems that align with their growth and regional expansion plans not just what's affordable now.

We also analyzed vendor familiarity and switching intent, and the findings are clear, Retailers are assessing platforms based on their ability to support multi-region rollouts, AI enhancements, and industry-specific features. Simply put, tech investments today must support the future business model not just fix yesterday’s problems.

Closing Thoughts- Build Ecosystems.

Retail technology has moved beyond tool-buying, it’s now about ecosystem thinking. As customer expectations rise and competition tightens, businesses that integrate early across their systems, regions, and teams will not just survive, they will lead.

Let’s Talk Commerce Tech Strategy

At Martlenz Knowledge Services, we specialize in helping retail and hospitality businesses uncover actionable insights through high-quality, customized data collection. With a global footprint across the US, India, and Singapore, and a proprietary interview methodology, we support organizations at every stage of the transformation curve.

Our expertise spans multiple industries, with deep coverage in Retail, Consumer Goods, Hospitality, Technology, and Financial Services. If you’re seeking verified insights from decision-makers, Martlenz can help your future-proof your business with confidence.

📩 Reach us at: Bids@martlenz.com