In the retail industry, whether making purchases, browsing inventory, or checking order status, if a company’s website or mobile application becomes unavailable or the user experience declines, a customer may immediately leave. A single bad experience could lead to the loss of a long-term customer. This is why global SD-WAN has become a revenue driver in the retail industry in the current era.

As retailers rapidly expand their e-commerce and loyalty applications to engage with consumers, the infrastructure and technology behind these services must ensure seamless business operations. This requires the implementation of reliable and consistent connectivity to provide an “always-on” experience, manage inventory and supply chains, and offer remote access for employees. However, many businesses lack the flexibility for reliable and fast access to their digital footprint, struggling to adapt to evolving consumer demands and fluctuating traffic patterns.

Global SD-WAN, by ensuring always-on connectivity and creating greater flexibility to meet evolving business demands, enables retailers to provide the best customer experience in terms of digital availability and paves the way for new revenue streams.

Retailers require fast and scalable connectivity for seamless transactions supporting sales, inventory, procurement, and other activities. Traditional WAN connections linking retail locations, warehouses, and suppliers can become a slow and expensive obstacle lacking flexibility and security. From an application perspective, rerouting cloud traffic through a central network hub severely degrades SaaS performance, lowers user experience, and impacts application service level requirements. It also hinders the “instant” response capability required for competitiveness in today’s digital market.

Global SD-WAN offers a more flexible connectivity approach, providing faster performance and better visibility at a lower total cost of ownership. Global SD-WAN also allows more choices in connectivity. Retailers invest significant time studying costs, and their Wide Area Network (WAN) is often seen as an expensive but necessary recurring cost. With the right global SD-WAN solution, rigid and costly connections, such as MPLS, can be replaced with more affordable broadband connections without sacrificing performance or security.

However, relying solely on connectivity is not sufficient. Global SD-WAN replaces the enterprise-level security provided by core data centers with streamlined alternatives. Retailers need a secure global SD-WAN solution that combines network and security without unnecessary overlays or complex additional components, allowing for quick website logins using a templated approach. This integrated approach can weave network and security policies into a unified solution from the start, enhancing overall visibility, control, and security effectiveness for retail operations.

By choosing a global SD-WAN solution, retailers achieve advanced, flexible connectivity without compromising enterprise-level security. If you have similar requirements, feel free to contact Ogcloud, and we will help design the most cost-effective network solution for you!