Most retailers likely to adopt unified commerce

As many as 81 per cent retailers of North America are planning to have unified commerce within 3 years, says a recent report. Elevated customer expectations and disruptive technology are driving the need for retail transformation. The customer journey and associated expectations continue to evolve – driving a major transformation in retail.

Disruption and adaptation are changing the customer engagement model and blurring the lines among retailers, brands and wholesalers, says BRP’s 2018 POS/Customer Engagement Survey. BRP is an innovative retail management consulting firm dedicated to providing superior service and enduring value to our clients.

The survey offers insights into retailers’ current priorities and initiatives as digital and physical retail environments converge to facilitate a seamless experience across channels.

"Retail and customer engagement models must transform," said Brian Brunk, principal at BRP.

"However, the legacy retail applications and infrastructure still in place at many retail organisations are not properly equipped to support changing retail models and continuously evolving customer expectations. To meet the demands of their customer, the retail winners in 2018 and beyond need to accelerate the transformation to cloud-based unified commerce. Victory belongs to the agile."

"As customer expectations have been reshaped by the digital retail experience, successful retailers have shifted their focus in the physical store environment," added Perry Kramer, senior vice president and practice lead at BRP.

"Customers appreciate personalised offers and recommendations when shopping online or via mobile, and now they expect the same personalization, or better, when they shop in a store. Understanding the importance of personalization, 62 per cent of retailers indicate customer identification is their top customer engagement priority as they transform the in-store customer experience."

"The four key pillars that define the required customer experience are personal, mobile, seamless and secure. Today’s retail environment requires security beyond retailers’ current focus on payments and networks. Engaging the customer through personalization and relevance is the key to attracting and keeping customers. The pervasiveness and ease-of-use of mobile devices offers tremendous opportunities for retailers as the customer takes control of their own retail experience across channels. Customer expectations for a personalized and seamless experience require retailers to follow customers’ journeys across channels as they research, shop and purchase," the survey stated.