Outsmarting outages: the “remote” future of retail maintenance

How IoT-powered diagnostics are helping retailers catch failures before they snowball.

Retailers today rely on technology more than ever to keep their stores running smoothly—from sophisticated point-of-sale (POS) systems and self-checkout kiosks to security cameras and mobile devices, to the networked infrastructures that support employee workflows.

But what happens when that technology fails?

Even a single outage—be it a malfunctioning POS system, a disconnected self-checkout terminal, or a compromised store network—can cripple operations, leading to lost revenue, frustrated customers, and overwhelmed employees. And the time spent waiting for an on-site technician to diagnose and fix these issues only amplifies the disruption.

As businesses become ever more reliant on digital infrastructure, malfunctions and the resulting downtime are set to become even more of a problem. But hope is at hand.

Thanks to advances in IoT-based remote monitoring, retailers can now identify and address tech issues before they escalate—often without setting foot in the store. Many of these solutions build on existing infrastructure, making them both an effective weapon in the War on Downtime, and relatively easy to adopt at scale.

The downside of downtime: An urgent challenge

Retailers have a lot on their plates at the moment. Many are expanding and/or remodeling their physical stores, but doing so at a time of unprecedented market volatility, with still-rising competition from the world of e-commerce. Consumers no longer just appreciate seamless technology, they expect it to be invisible, effortlessly integrating into their shopping experience without disruption. Yet, many retailers continue to rely on traditional maintenance models like manual “truck rolls” for troubleshooting, introducing costly delays and avoidable environmental impact.

Since 2020, IT leaders have reported conflicting trends on the frequency of outages—some surveys show a rise in the number of downtime incidents, others a decline. But there’s no ambiguity about the direction of the impact of downtime: it’s gone from bad to worse. The share of outages taking more than 48 hours to resolve has quadrupled since 2017, while the number of incidents costing more than $100,000 has nearly doubled since 2019.

And for many businesses, those numbers are on the low end. The cost of downtime varies depending on factors like business size, affected systems, and timing. However, a 2023 survey on IT-server reliability revealed that 93% of mid-size and larger enterprises now experience losses of at least $300,000 for every hour of server downtime. Nearly a quarter of organizations estimate losses as high as $5 million per hour. When digital infrastructure fails, even briefly, the losses can be swift and serious.

Beyond financial losses, outages can disrupt loyalty programs, break personalization engines, and scramble inventory-tracking systems—all of it hurting customer satisfaction, employee morale, sales, and the bottom line.

Downtime, in short, has long ceased to be a mere annoyance. It’s a major—and growing—financial risk to businesses’ survival. The urgent challenge is finding new models and approaches to keep complex tech ecosystems running. One promising answer: smarter, remote-first monitoring.

Remote-first maintenance

Implementing an enterprise IoT system enables off-site technicians to monitor and assess the real-time health of in-store devices—without ever setting foot on site. By combining predictive analytics with continuous monitoring, the move from reactive to proactive maintenance enables retailers to catch potential failures early, minimizing disruptions and cutting maintenance costs by an estimated 20% to 25%.

But monitoring is just the beginning. Smart devices and IoT agents can also perform basic self-healing tasks: from remote restarts to reconfiguring and troubleshooting store equipment. These capabilities reduce the need for those costly technician visits, and retailers who have embraced remote diagnostics report profitability gains of 4% to 10%.

Crucially, these tools come together in a centralized dashboard, giving store managers real-time visibility into the health and performance of devices across multiple locations. This centralized oversight enables immediate remote diagnostics, reducing the need for on-site interventions.

The ultimate beneficiary is the customer. With faster response times and proactive issue detection, managers can address potential disruptions before the customer even notices, minimizing any negative impact on sales, revenue, and that all-important customer loyalty.

Sustainability: The hidden win

The benefits of a remote-first approach go beyond efficiency and uptime. It can also support sustainability initiatives. By reducing the need for on-site service calls, retailers can significantly reduce fuel consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions, particularly Scope 1 and Scope 3. According to industry estimates, a single truck roll can emit between 50 to 150 pounds of CO₂, depending on distance and vehicle type.

Each avoided service visit helps shrink a retailer’s carbon footprint while reinforcing its broader commitment to environmental responsibility. That, in turn, enhances brand reputation, aligns with rising consumer expectations for sustainability, and supports long-term ESG goals. In a world where sustainability is becoming a competitive differentiator, smarter maintenance offers a quiet but meaningful edge.

The future of smart maintenance

System outages and inefficiencies are no longer just operational hiccups. They’re potential threats to revenue, customer trust, and brand reputation. A 2020 report found that 94% of enterprises experienced at least one IT outage over a three-year span, averaging 15 incidents per organization.

These disruptions are costly, as we’ve seen, but they’re increasingly preventable. By embracing advanced remote monitoring and diagnostic tools, retailers have an opportunity not just to reduce downtime, but to streamline operations, cut costs, and shrink their environmental footprint. The technology is here. The case is clear. All that’s needed now is action.