Insights
Why modern connectivity is fast becoming an ROI driver for retailers
4 min read
Retailers are constantly looking for smarter ways to protect revenue, control costs and provide better customer experiences.
It’s easy to see connectivity as something your IT team manages. But it plays a much bigger part in how your stores perform.
When margins are tight and customer expectations keep rising, modern connectivity can help you turn everyday retail demands into stronger returns.
It helps stores keep trading, teams work faster and customers move between channels with fewer reasons to abandon their baskets.
The cost of standing still is getting harder to ignore
62% of strategy leaders say old infrastructure can’t support current and future strategic objectives and plans.1
That matters because retail is now powered by connected moments – stock checks, electronic point of sale (EPOS), loyalty apps, real-time pricing, fulfilment systems, store devices and online journeys.
Those moments feel faster, easier and more joined up when your network can keep pace.
For retail leaders, that turns connectivity from a back-office concern into a boardroom issue. A modern network can quietly protect your revenue every day.
Join up your technical and commercial dots
Software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN) and secure access service edge (SASE) can do more than improve your network – they can help your people work with more confidence.
For chief information officers and IT directors, the prize is stronger control, better visibility and simpler management across stores, sites, cloud services and devices. For commercial leaders, those same changes translate into lower operating costs, fewer interruptions and reduced business risk.
The benefits are clear:
- Cut network costs
- Reduce interruptions
- Lower business risk
- Improve customers and staff experiences
Our recent research shows retailers have seen significant value:
Up to 40% cost savings and £3–£5 million ROI from network modernisation.2
41% less time spent managing network infrastructure with SD-WAN.2
That gives your IT team more time to work on things that move your business forward.
Protect your revenue with built-in resilience
Stronger resilience helps your stores keep trading, your online orders moving and your teams focused on customers.
So it pays to build resilience into your network from the start.
With the right approach, secure connectivity can help you stop firefighting and spend more time planning with confidence. It can support stronger access control, clearer visibility across devices and more consistent protection across branches, warehouses, offices and cloud services.
Our retail report shows that SD-WAN customers typically reduce security incidents by 48% and help desk tickets by 50%.2
That’s not just a smoother IT operation. It’s less disruption for your teams and more reasons for customers to keep choosing you.
Better experiences need stronger foundations
Retail growth is built on connected experiences. Personalisation, AI, the internet of things (IoT), retail media and smarter supply chains all rely on fast, secure and reliable connectivity.
The commercial case is clear: 71% of consumers say that personalised experiences can increase their brand loyalty.3
Personalisation works best when your network can support the data, devices and systems behind it.
Modern fixed and mobile connectivity helps you join up the experience customers expect with the operational control you need.
Make connectivity work harder for your business
Improving your network isn’t just about replacing old infrastructure. It’s about protecting revenue, reducing risk and creating stronger foundations for measurable returns.
Read our retail report to see how secure connectivity can help you reduce costs, strengthen resilience and improve customer experience.
See the business case in full
And call 0808 239 6550 to talk through what the findings could mean for your estate.
1. Gartner, The Top CIO Challenges, According to 12k+ of Your CIO Peers, 2025
2. Virgin Media O₂ Business Retail SD-WAN ROI Calculator. Data gathered using a combination of desk research, 11 market research interviews, and reference customers within retail.
3. Ecommerce, Personalisation key to Brits spending more with brands
Meet Fiona Dew, our Head of Retail
Have a chat about new tech and innovations that can help you boost productivity, efficiency and customer experiences – all powered by better connectivity.
Get a free digital consultation
Explore your IT challenges and goals with our experts who’ll share insight on how to build a secure, resilient digital foundation
that supports retail growth, efficiency and better customer experiences.
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