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
- Retail Agent Conference 2026
Retail Agent Con 2026 — The Premier Conference for Autonomous Commerce Agents RetailAgentCon 2026 About Speakers Agenda Expo Venue Register Registration Now Open Retail Agent Con2026 The premier global conference… Read more: Retail Agent Conference 2026 - OnDemand: Retail AI Pulse Webinar
On March 26, we had our first Retail AI Pulse webinar. We hope these are quarterly events to go over the latest in retail installs and then also train people… Read more: OnDemand: Retail AI Pulse Webinar - How Inventory Intelligence Is Becoming the Single Biggest Divider Between Leaders and Laggards
This week’s Retail Reality Check newsletter is packed with stories about retailers and brands investing in technology. From Amazon launching one-hour delivery to Costco’s AI-powered personalization engine driving $470 million… Read more: How Inventory Intelligence Is Becoming the Single Biggest Divider Between Leaders and Laggards - Agentic AI Moves from Boardroom to Cash Register
The week of March 7, 2026 will likely be remembered as the week agentic AI moved from conference keynotes into actual store operations. No longer a concept being debated at… Read more: Agentic AI Moves from Boardroom to Cash Register
In THe NEWS
Harrisburg wants me to run a ‘cash-only’ bar. Good luck with that
A Harrisburg restaurant owner criticizes Pennsylvania bills HB 2090 and SB 1202, which would push more cash transactions by limiting card processing. Citing IHL Group research showing cash costs restaurants 15.5% of sales versus 3% for cards, he argues the change would burden small operators like McGrath’s and complicate transactions statewide.
Volcano Bay’s cashless shift signals broader Florida business trend
Universal’s Volcano Bay water park at Universal Orlando Resort will go fully cashless starting February 25, 2026, using tap‑to‑pay wristbands and digital wallets. The move reflects a broader Florida trend favoring cashless operations to cut labor and theft costs, as highlighted by IHL Group’s research on cash‑handling expenses.
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.
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.
Retail Must Align on Inventory Accuracy or Risk Losses, Study Says
The retail and consumer goods industries continue to face inventory-related headwinds on a global scale. In fact, retail is hemorrhaging $1.73 trillion annually due to the cost of out-of-stocks and overstocks (known as inventory distortion), per recent data from analyst firm IHL Group.