dy, more than one-third, or 35.8%, of retailers are considering a single platform to manage interactions and transactions across all sales channels.In the research conducted by the NRF, Demandware and the University of Arizona, 200 European and US retail technology executives gave their views on the future of retailing.
With customer expectations driving retailers to carefully examine their technology investments, integrating in-store and eCommerce operations is a key focus for retailers in 2014.
Having a single platform would consolidate and manage key data elements and functionalities provide shoppers with streamlined, on-brand shopping experiences – whether they are shopping in-store or on the web.
“The future of retail will envelope business platforms that enhance the endless opportunities that new technologies offer, such as systems that allow retailers to provide seamless, relevant and personalized interactions for all of their customers,” said Tom Litchford, NRF vice president of retail technologies.
“In this consumer-led industry, retailers are working overtime to keep up with the expectations and demands of their savvy customers, and are intent on integrating the digital shopping experience like never before.”
Over the next three years, 80% of retailers surveyed expect to maintain or increase in-store technology investments while 70% say they are deploying or planning to refresh iexisting software. Meanwhile, 38% said they planned to leverage an eCommerce software platform for their next-generation store software.
Commenting on the research, Demandware vice president of industry strategy and insights, Rob Garf said, “This [single platform] provides retailers a great opportunity to reduce costs, improve operational efficiencies, and enhance the overall customer shopping experience in a dynamic consumer environment.”
