Nov 16, 2023 | 2 min read

Easing Friction in Retail Technology with Subramanian Kunchithapatham

By: Patrick Emmons

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How do you create a frictionless experience for shoppers while keeping shrink under control? CTO of Sensormatic Solutions Subramanian Kunchithapatham—KS—spearheads innovative technologies to solve major retail questions and utilizes over two decades of experience to meet these challenges at the speed of retail evolution and digitization. His work explores shopper experience, inventory intelligence, loss prevention, and operational efficiency, all of which are underpinned by AI, machine learning, and video analytics technologies.

In this episode, KS shares insight into a detailed pain-point innovation methodology, including honing in on areas ripe for disruption and the consideration of cost. He discusses how shoppers are making purchase decisions (everywhere and anywhere) and how Sensormatic Solutions is providing innovative technologies for its industry customers to meet that demand.

Patrick, Shelli, and KS discuss how the pandemic reshaped retail and how those lessons have helped make for an improved customer experience now. KS also provides details on how Sensormatic Solutions is attracting and retaining talent in a highly competitive tech landscape.

  • (02:55) – Sensormatic Solutions
  • (06:37) – Accelerated digitization of retail
  • (13:30) – In-store experience
  • (18:15) – Frictionless shopping 
  • (20:20) – Pain point innovation
  • (29:33) – Attracting and retaining talent

About Our Guest

Subramanian Kunchithapatham (KS) is the Chief Technology Officer of Sensormatic Solutions, the leading global retail solutions portfolio of Johnson Controls. He previously held roles at Zebra Technologies and Motorola. Before his decades-long career in transformational leadership, he earned an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management and a PhD from the Indian Institute of Science.

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About Patrick Emmons

If you can’t appreciate a good sports analogy, movie quote, or military reference, you may not want to work with him, but if you value honesty, integrity, and commitment to improvement, Patrick can certainly help take your business or your career to the next level. “Good enough,” is simply not in his vernacular. Pat’s passion is for relentlessly pushing himself and others to achieve full potential. Patrick Emmons is a graduate of St. Norbert College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science and Mathematics. Patrick co-founded Adage Technologies in 2001 and in 2015, founded DragonSpears as a spin-off dedicated to developing custom applications that improve speed, compliance and scalability of clients’ internal and customer-facing workflow processes. When he is not learning about new technology, running a better business, or becoming a stronger leader, he can be found coaching his kids’ (FIVE of them) baseball and lacrosse teams and praising his ever-so-patient wife for all her support.

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