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AI Transformation for Software & SaaS in Retail & E-commerce

Software is where AI transformation starts for most businesses. The old approach was buying 20 specialist tools and paying humans to operate them. The new approach: deploy AI that replaces entire tool categories. AI handles your content creation, customer support, data analysis, and scheduling — making half your software stack redundant overnight. For retail & e-commerce businesses, software & saas typically accounts for 8% of total costs.

8%
of retail & e-commerce costs
Industry average: 5–15% of revenue
Penny benchmark for software & saas
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Penny's take on software & saas

Here's what I tell every business owner: your SaaS bill isn't just too high — half of it is paying for tools AI has already made obsolete. You don't need a social media scheduler, a content writing tool, and an email marketing platform when one AI system handles all three. The average SME wastes £3,600/year on software that AI has replaced.

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From my notebook

A marketing agency was spending £4,200/month on 23 different tools. We mapped every tool against what AI could do instead. Separate tools for content writing, social scheduling, email copy, and analytics — all replaced by AI-powered alternatives. We consolidated to 11 tools, and AI handled the work of the other 12. Monthly saving: £2,100. The team didn't miss a single cancelled tool because AI did it better.

The average company wastes 25-30% of its SaaS spend on unused or underused licenses.

Gartner, 2024 SaaS Management Report

Common software & saas inefficiencies AI can solve in retail & e-commerce

  • Specialist tools that AI now handles as a single platform
  • Duplicate tools with overlapping features
  • Auto-renewed subscriptions nobody uses
  • Premium tiers when AI alternatives are cheaper or free
  • Legacy systems maintained "just in case" when AI has replaced them

How AI is transforming software & saas

1

Map every tool against AI alternatives — which tools has AI made redundant?

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Consolidate: one AI platform can replace content, scheduling, and analytics tools

3

Replace specialist software with AI that handles multiple functions

4

Use AI-native tools that adapt and improve, not legacy software

5

Cancel any tool where AI does the same job for free or cheaper

Get personalised software & saas transformation advice

Tell Penny about your software & saas setup and she'll identify what AI can replace in your retail & e-commerce business.

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