For Tony D’Onofrio, his first job as a bag boy in a Cleveland supermarket marked the beginning of a long and winding retail journey. That first job provided the focal point of a nine-year retail education. By the time he left to go to college in 1981, D’Onofrio felt that he “was born in a retail store.”

As he grew and matured, he worked weekend and evening shifts followed by reverse shifts at night and then went to school the next day. D’Onofrio had a strong work ethic and enjoyed every moment of it.

D’Onofrio continued on with his career in retail technology, security and even back to retail as IT integration. “I got tired of doing the same job, and because I was doing it so well, they wanted me to stay in that job. I said, ‘I’m done,’” he told Sourcing Journal.

The years of experience in retail followed by years of experience in technology at NCR enabled D’Onofrio to continue to move back and forth between the two environments.

Today, D’Onofrio serves as president of Sensormatic Solutions. For six decades, the company has enabled retailers to manage inventory, secure their stores, gain traffic insights and engage their customers using advanced solutions. He said the industry has drastically changed since he first worked in retail.

“Retail has gone through four mega trends,” he said. “After World War II, manufacturers ran retail. The barcode gave power to retailers. The smartphone put retail in the hands of the consumer. And now, with artificial intelligence the consumer will gain even more power to dictate where retail goes next.”

D’Onofrio shared three priorities for the future of retail: inventory visibility, safe stores and personalization of the retail shopping experience. “Inventory accuracy is the most important thing,” D’Onofrio explained. “If you don’t have it, I’m going to find a competitor that does.” As part of its retail solutions, Sensormatic Solutions uses RFID to help retailers achieve inventory accuracy rates of up to 99 percent (compared to the current average of 60 to 70 percent without automated inventory systems).

Retail theft—a challenge increased by self-checkout systems and new social norms around stealing—is another area where D’Onofrio said Sensormatic Solutions is addressing the problem. “People are stealing more, it’s become more normal,” D’Onofrio said, adding that studies indicate that younger generations are more likely to shoplift. In some cases, stealing is done simply because it can be done.

When asked about the value proposition of Sensormatic Solutions, D’Onofrio said the company is uniquely positioned to meet the expectations of retail in three key areas: inventory accuracy, safer stores and personalized shopping.

Reflecting on his successful career, D’Onofrio said “It’s been quite a journey. I’ve enjoyed every single moment of it.” Importantly, as the retail landscape continues to evolve, one constant remains: the consumer is king. In retail, he said businesses can continue to thrive if they listen to consumers, continue to adapt to changing retail circumstances and keep innovating retail concepts.

He said retailers and brands need to create experiences that better engage shoppers while equipping employees with the tools and solutions to best serve and interact with them. Offering the best, most personalized shopping experience is also key.

D’Onofrio said his career path is defined by constant change and evolution. His path to success was influenced greatly by a natural ability to learn quickly, adapt often and retain a deep-seated focus on the customer. From here, D’Onofrio expects the industry to continue evolving as well, with new technologies emerging. “It’s an exciting time to be in retail,” he said. “And I’m excited to be a part of it.”