In this episode of the Omni Talk Expert Series, hosts Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga are joined by Joe Serrano, Global Managing Partner for Retail and CPG, and Daniel Horton, VP of Engineering and Delivery at HTEC, for an essential conversation about deploying computer vision technology in retail environments.
Joe and Dan pull back the curtain on why most computer vision pilots fail and share their battle-tested playbook for successful implementations. With experience spanning both sides of the retail innovation equation—from startup pitches to enterprise deployments at Best Buy and Macy’s—they provide practical insights that go far beyond the polished vendor demos seen at conferences.
Key Moments:
- 0:08 – Introduction to Joe Serrano and Daniel Horton and their backgrounds in retail innovation
- 4:15 – The current landscape of computer vision applications across retail operations
- 10:47 – Why demo accuracy (often 90-100%) typically drops to 60% in real-world deployments
- 13:16 – How to leverage 60-80% of existing camera infrastructure with augmentation
- 16:31 – The critical importance of customer trust and privacy considerations
- 21:11 – Common failure points: Why only 25% of retail AI pilots scale past proof of concept
- 26:32 – Which use cases deliver the fastest ROI: inventory visibility vs. customer-facing applications
- 32:00 – Build vs. buy decisions: Evaluating existing hardware versus new investments
- 37:45 – Preview of HTEC’s upcoming “Smart Vision in Action” webinar in January
Join HTEC for their January Webinar: Computer Vision in Action: Cutting Shrink, Boosting Efficiency, and Powering Smarter Stores with Edge AI: www.brighttalk.com/webcast/21011/6…paign=linkshare
This conversation is essential listening for retail leaders evaluating computer vision technology, from smart carts and theft prevention to inventory tracking and store operations optimization.
Tune in now on the platform of your choice below:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Soundcloud | Amazon Music
Be careful out there,
– Chris, Anne, and the Omni Talk team
P.S. To see our full lineup of past Ask An Expert conversations, head here.
#retailtech #ecommerce #AI #composablecommerce
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Omni Talk® is the retail blog for retailers, written by retailers. Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga founded Omni Talk® in 2017 and have quickly turned it into one of the fastest growing blogs in retail.