The pandemic-induced rise in e-commerce has led retailers to adjust their IT departments, according to a recent report by Information Services Group (ISG).

The report for the U.S. finds that the COVID-19 pandemic forced many retail and consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies to increase their use of e-commerce, omnichannel customer engagement and other digital technologies to satisfy changing consumer demands.

The report also examines other U.S. trends, including the growing importance of automation and heightened cybersecurity and privacy threats. The increase in online shopping meant retailers had to reconsider their needs when it comes to securing online payments and managing higher levels of internet traffic. 

The pandemic revealed that decision-making processes at many U.S. retail and CPG companies were inflexible, leading many firms to launch retooling projects, the report says. Retailers have implemented artificial intelligence and machine learning for website and supply chain management.

To make these changes, retail and CPG enterprises in the U.S. have migrated much of their IT infrastructure and business applications to the cloud, the report says. Most organizations are using a mix of public, private and hybrid cloud environments.

Learn more about the report here.