Full Bio
Greg Buzek is the Founder, President and Principal Analyst of IHL Group and one of the Founders of the Retail Orphan Initiative (www.retailROI.org), a charitable foundation that seeks to help the 400 million orphaned and vulnerable children around the world. In 16 years, RetailROI has been involved in over 300 projects in 29 countries helping an estimated 325,000 children through clean water, education, computers, language training and care.
Noted by RIS News as one of the Top 10 Influentials in Retail and the National Retail Federation as one of “The List of People Shaping Retail’s Future“, he has a Masters Degree in Business Administration (MBA) from The Ohio State University, and 30 years of experience in retail market analysis, business planning, product development, and consulting with Fortune 500 companies. He is also a member of the Top 100 Retail Influencers from ReTHINK Retail.
Greg is frequently quoted in BusinessWeek, CIO Information Network, Information Week, Supermarket News, Chain Store Age, The Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, and the Washington Post and has been used as a retail technology analyst on NBC Nightly News, CBS News, and CNBC. In addition, Greg has been a guest lecturer for the Wharton School of Business and Belmont University.
In 2011 The Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute honored Greg with the first ever Paul Singer Award that recognizes business and governmental leaders for going above and beyond their defined roles to advocate for better adoption and foster care policies worldwide. Before founding IHL, Greg worked with NCR Corporation and Sensormatic Electronics as a marketing and development executive on hardware, software, and electronic security products for the Retail Industry.
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Analyst Corner Articles
- Make the Most of NRF 2026
How are your plans for NRF 2026 going? Have all your leads and meetings set up? If not, let IHL and RetailROI help. After 32 years my team has put… Read more: Make the Most of NRF 2026 - The New Retail Tech Benchmarks
Most conversations about retail tech benchmarks start in the wrong place. Leaders ask: “What new technology should we buy?” They research solutions. They compare vendors. They evaluate features. They build… Read more: The New Retail Tech Benchmarks - How Fast Is Retail Really Changing? The Truth Beyond the Hype
How fast is retail really changing? It’s the question I get asked constantly at conferences, in client briefings, and from retailers trying to figure out where to place their bets.… Read more: How Fast Is Retail Really Changing? The Truth Beyond the Hype - Global POS Shipments Update – 3Q25
Q3 2025 POS Market Reality Check: Global POS Shipments grew 3.4% YoY, but regional divergence is stark—North America firing on all cylinders (+15.6%) due to Windows 10 refresh, while APAC… Read more: Global POS Shipments Update – 3Q25
In THe NEWS
Retail’s Most Expensive Blind Spot: Balance on Hand and On-Shelf Availability
Retail inventory accuracy remains a major challenge in 2025, with the average retailer reporting only about 70% accuracy, and smaller retailers often performing worse. This inaccuracy leads to phantom inventory, lost sales, customer dissatisfaction, and operational inefficiencies. AI-driven shelf visibility and real-time monitoring are key solutions enabling retailers to detect out-of-stock situations and misplaced items instantaneously, improving on-shelf availability and boosting sales. Retailers adopting such technology report increased sales, reduced waste, and improved customer trust, making AI-powered inventory visibility a strategic priority to stay competitive in today’s retail environment.
Why Shelf Intelligence Is Becoming Retail’s Next Competitive Edge
Scandit and IHL Group’s research shows retailers using hybrid data capture tools—like autonomous robots, fixed cameras, and mobile devices—are 136% more likely to sustain profitability leadership. Shelf intelligence solutions improve inventory accuracy, on-shelf availability, and customer satisfaction, becoming a strategic imperative across global retail segments.
New Research from IHL Group and Brain Corp Reveals Two-Thirds of Major U.S. Retailers Face Shelf Issues Eroding Retailer-Brand Trust
67% of major U.S. retailers face frequent inventory accuracy issues that harm brand relationships and cause lost sales. Only 25% meet basic shelf accuracy standards. Robotics is the top solution, with 72% ready to deploy in-store robots, favoring managed automation services like Brain Corp’s ShelfOptix™ to restore trust and accuracy in retail.
IHL Group: Retailers see this technology as key to inventory accuracy
IHL Group and Brain Corp research found retailers lose $1.73 trillion yearly from inventory distortions, with robotics ranked as the top solution for improving shelf accuracy. Seventy-two percent of surveyed retailers plan robot deployment by 2027, citing improved visibility, trust, and brand relationships as key benefits.
Shelf intelligence emerging as retail’s strategic priority
Shelf intelligence technologies are now a top priority for retailers to improve inventory accuracy, profitability, and customer satisfaction. The research by IHL Group and Scandit shows inventory visibility ranks second only to customer personalization. Retailers growing profits over 10% invest twice as much in these solutions. Hybrid data capture methods (robots, cameras, mobile devices) boost early adoption and profitability leadership. AI spending in retail is rising rapidly, underscoring shelf intelligence as a strategic imperative.