Dive Brief:

• The vast majority of retailers, 93%, say hybrid cloud is the "ideal IT model," according to a Nutanix report of 2,300 IT decision-makers across more than 300 international retailers.
• The retail industry has the second-strongest rate of hybrid cloud deployments. The two top reasons for hybrid cloud were choosing a cloud best-suited for applications and for instances where traffic upticks.
• Retailers' use of hybrid cloud partially stems from their ability to control overspending. Nearly 70% of retail companies had their expenditure on public cloud under or on budget. In contrast, only 35% of other industries could say the same.

Dive Insight:

Igniting a memorable and favorable customer experience is among the top priorities for CIOs in the retail industry. Behind "keeping the lights on," CIOs are tasked with perfecting their company's omnichannel capabilities.

Omnichannel extends beyond a sleek website or mobile app; it challenges a company's operational efficiency. Retailers, more so than other industries, stand to feel the impact of immediate customer feedback. Because of this, they have to to be more in tune with their IT strategy.

"Access to historical data also allows retailers to better predict and understand consumer needs accurately, which helps them to respond to consumer demand quickly and adapt to market fluctuations," Chris Kozup, SVP of Global Marketing at Nutanix, told CIO Dive.

The companies that historically underinvested in technology over the years are now facing competitive slumps or even bankruptcies. Evolving transformation doesn't always require a heavy lift, but instead strategic experimentation.

Replacing a technology but not the way the technology is used isn't enough to overhaul an outdated status quo. But too much change without governance can also hinder progress.

Retailers, while good with hybrid cloud budgets, have to be cautious of data overconsumption the cloud can indirectly encourage. Especially during fluctuating seasonal demands, the cloud offers retailers flexibility on-premise solutions no longer can.