IT modernization has become one of the main challenges for retailers in the coming years. Not without reason, the issue was among the top retail trends for the coming years. In the 2025 survey, as many as 41 percent of retail business owners pointed to it – only margin pressure received a higher score (46 percent). To meet consumer expectations and adapt to technological changes, businesses are implementing more and more tools and technologies. However, the mere fact of implementing more solutions does not guarantee success. Only their integration enables optimization and automation of business processes, which translates into real organizational and financial benefits.
When technology leads to chaos in trade
E-commerce and m-commerce platforms, loyalty systems, mobile applications or courier systems – these are just a few examples of solutions that are essential for the development of modern commerce. Not surprisingly, more and more retailers are choosing to implement them. Sometimes, however, the changes do not bring the expected results, but introduce additional chaos. This happens when solutions are not integrated with each other.
Problems become apparent, for example, when processing sales across multiple channels. Data on sales, customer purchase history or inventory are in separate databases (e.g. the stationary store and e-commerce) and are not updated in real time. This situation generates many challenges: from the lack of inventory updates to erroneous information on product availability. The chaos created in this way affects both the store’s employees (problems with processing orders or replenishing goods) and customers (the need to cancel orders, limited ability to take advantage of promotions). Above all, however, it reflects on business.
Integrations the way to effective retail
The solution to the challenges of data dispersion is the integration of IT environments. It allows different applications to work together – all information is transferred to a central system, and from there it goes to other systems using a message broker (such as RabbitMQ) or an API (application programming interface, which is responsible for communication between applications and systems). Such a solution ensures consistency of data on inventory, sales or customer purchase history.
How does the integrated implementation of IT environments look in practice? There is no rule – it all depends on the approach and experience of the companies implementing this task. INEOGroup, a leader in POS solutions and retail technology, works on the basis of ready-made and proven procedures. To prepare the entire infrastructure for efficient system operation, experts install and configure servers. At this stage, server roles, accesses and backups are set up. Next comes the installation of a relational database management system (MS SQL Server or PostgreSQL) and adapting it to the specifics of the IT ecosystem. Activities in this area include, among other things, configuration of access, backup mechanisms and performance parameters. As part of the IT implementation of the integration layer, connections are established with various systems, for example, logistics, e-commerce or ERP (enterprise resource planning system). This creates a stable environment for data exchange between systems.
The human dimension of integrated IT implementations
Practice shows that there is no single recipe for integrated implementation of IT environments. Therefore, INEOGroup tailors its procedures to the needs, goals and expectations of each retail business. The individual approach to tasks is also manifested in the option of choosing the model of cooperation – IT implementations can be carried out remotely or locally. In either case, the specialists ensure a safe start of the system through technical support at the stage of launch and the first days of work with the system.
The selection and implementation of specific solutions depend on operational realities and user expectations. In addition, implementation can take place gradually, which makes it possible to reduce the cost of change in the first place. Such a situation is particularly advantageous for large store chains, which for many years have relied on monolithic systems that are difficult to develop and integrate with modern solutions. Retailers don’t have to replace them at once – they can systematically implement more solutions, eventually moving to a modern microservices architecture.
INEOGroup experts stress that the whole process is not limited to technological tasks – IT implementation for retail server infrastructure, databases or solution integration. That’s why they also involve the company’s employees in its implementation. During the cooperation, instructions, presentations and checklists are created, tailored to the specifics and needs of the teams working in the company that plans to carry out the integrated IT implementations with INEOGroup.
Systems integration is the future of retail
Combining multiple solutions into one cohesive ecosystem is essential to organize processes, increase efficiency and meet consumer expectations. IT modernization, while inevitable, does not have to be abrupt. Retailers can implement successive changes gradually, spreading out costs over time and preparing teams for the changes.
1) McKinsey, EuroCommerce, Europanel, The State of Grocery Retail Europe 2025, pp. 12
