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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