Retail
January 23, 2020
AI can free up sales associates' time to better serve consumers. Image credit: Printemps
By Sarah Jones
Almost three-quarters of consumers say that personalized service from frontline staff plays an integral role in shaping their decisions of which retailer to do business with, pointing to the continued importance of human help amid an increasingly independent retail environment.
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