Better, Cheaper & More Powerful: The Best AI Apps for Your Business

From automating mundane tasks to more quickly analyzing data, AI is promoted as a must-have for virtually every industry today. In business settings like retail, though, this technology is truly delivering on its promise. Here’s a look at how today’s best AI apps for business are driving new levels of efficiency, cost savings, security, customer satisfaction, and much more — and all at a low cost of investment.

> Seeking AI-powered solutions for your business? Contact Dragonfruit AI today

Unpacking the Power of AI

So, how well is AI living up to its potential? As a term, it’s everywhere today. And going far beyond its original, decades-old meaning of artificial intelligence, AI is now used to describe a wide variety of tech applications, including next-gen machine learning and computer vision technologies that enable advanced facial recognition, scene understanding, image classification, and object detection.

Yet for most companies, realizing the potential of all of these technologies isn’t just out of reach, but hard to even understand. Until recently, the use of AI to improve security camera functionality or the detection of self-checkout fraud has been available to just a select few — those with the resources to invest in the expensive hardware and cameras needed to power new systems.

‘The knowledge is literally at your fingertips’

Today, though, technology has advanced to the point that virtually any business can seize the power of AI, and all without a major initial investment in expensive hardware. And the best AI apps for business on the market right now deliver more than a low-cost solution for boosting customer satisfaction, security, and revenue. They also provide a level of data analysis that can open up a company’s horizons in new and exciting ways.

By instantly accessing vast amounts of information, AI gives us “control to be as creative as we want” in the solution of our most pressing problems, as Rouzbeh Aminpour, Global Industry Solution Engineering for Google, recently explained at the Generative AI Summit, held during NRF 2024 in New York.

“The knowledge is literally at your fingertips, and you can now think about how to mix all of that knowledge to create new things that never existed before.”

> Watch highlights from the Dragonfruit Generative AI Summit 2024

5 Breakthrough Benefits from Today’s Best AI Apps for Business

The real breakthrough behind the latest AI apps for business — including those offered here at Dragonfruit AI, as we’ll explore below — is the ability to apply technologies like AI and computer vision to existing camera streams, rather than requiring the purchase of specialized equipment and hardware. So, with just a limited initial investment, businesses can reap a variety of revenue-driving benefits.

#1: More centralized management

The best AI apps don’t just make the power of AI accessible for virtually any business. They also do so in a systemic, easy-to-use way. For instance, the Dragonfruit AI suite of retail apps center on an expanded video management service. Our advanced VMS+ system unifies all of a facility’s live video feeds to maximize real-time surveillance and situational awareness while more readily archiving footage for future reference.

That gives managers of retail businesses the power to see every square inch of their business, at all times — even across multiple locations or across multiple camera systems — for more effective resource allocation, quicker issue resolution, and enhanced operational efficiency. It also gives managers of warehouses, entertainment venues, shipping facilities, and other large physical spaces the same power of centralized oversight and control.

#2: Comprehensive, real-time security oversight

Applying computer vision technology to this centralized camera infrastructure, the best AI apps — like Dragonfruit AI — can instantly pinpoint individuals or vehicles based on distinctive attributes, sending real-time alerts for incidents, anomalies, and suspicious patterns. Because AI never sleeps and because it is not motion triggered like many previous generation alarms, not only are these new technologies able to detect suspicious behavior 24/7, they are also able to reduce costly false alarms.

The advanced detection power also enables better access control for a more robust defense against unauthorized entries, including advanced-level detection of tailgating attempts. And, because it easily integrates with existing access control systems, these AI apps also help businesses meet critical safety and security compliance regulations.

#3: Deeper data insights for better decision-making in physical retail environments

The best AI apps don’t just constantly monitor your entire video feed, but also track data and patterns and then report the most meaningful trends back to you. In a very real sense, this means bringing the level of insights previously only available to eCommerce — where traffic concentrates, what products get taken in and out of a cart, and so on — to brick-and-mortar retail spaces.

And that effectively “puts meaning behind the video that you see, so you can monetize it, you can improve safety, you can improve efficiency,” as Dragonfruit AI Co-founder Padma Duvvuri explained at the summit.

“You can run your business better because the cameras are already there. It's just a matter of using the data that they're collecting.”

#4: Improving the customer experience

The fast and smart analysis of all that data helps retailers make the decisions to boost not only sales but also the entire customer experience — and, in so doing, better ensure long-term growth.

“What we're talking about is providing the level of resolution about the physical world that we've had about the digital world for what, 20 years plus now,” as Rouzbeh explained at the summit. “Use those together, can you imagine the delightful experiences that we can have inside of retail?”

“AI is really transforming and enhancing the customer experience in ways that we only used to dream about,” agreed New Majority Ready CEO Jacqueline Hernandez. “And it's powered by data, specifically data that's allowing for personalization, and it's going to help retailers actually be able to predict consumer trends in the future.”

#5: More efficient staffing & shelf management

By seamlessly integrating all existing cameras into one centralized system, businesses can also make sure that every corner of their operations are optimally staffed and stocked. That means cutting costs by reducing staff when they’re not needed, and boosting customer satisfaction by avoiding understaffing at key times. It also helps retailers make sure their shelves are stocked by more closely tracking sales trends in the short- and long-term.

In addition, today’s best AI apps also give smaller businesses the power to accomplish things that were once only possible with a large staff. “There's about a billion CCTV cameras out in the world right now, and no one to view that data,” as one expert put it at the summit. With the power of AI, just about any business can get expert-level analysis of that data, without the need to hire any additional staff members, contractors, or consultants.

Discover the Best AI Apps for Your Business with Dragonfruit AI

Best of all? These benefits are delivered in a way that’s cheaper and more advanced than ever before. Delivering all-new ways to map customer traffic, detect shoplifting, and so much more, companies like Dragonfruit AI are designed for affordability, applying cutting-edge tech to your existing infrastructure to maximize the value of your investment. And, thanks to our patented Split AI technology and minimal hardware (included in the price), bandwidth usage is also kept to a minimum.

Here at Dragonfruit AI, we’re proud to lead the transition to cheaper, faster AI apps that maximize revenue, customer satisfaction, security, and so much more. Learn more here about how we’re revolutionizing retail, or contact us today for more details.

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Disclosure: The apps promoted on this page are offered by Dragonfruit AI, a provider of app-based video AI business solutions. Read more about Dragonfruit AI here.

Image Credit: Featured image licensed under iStockPhoto account 16223288.