Retailers struggle to unify digital and in-store experiences

A majority of retailers feel their existing technology/infrastructure is preventing them from moving forward with new omnichannel solutions and that they face significant challenges getting new technologies rolled out to stores and in helping employees respond to informed, smartphone-enabled shoppers.

According to a survey conducted by RSR Research on behalf of cloud-based financials / ERP and omnichannel commerce software suites provider, NetSuite Inc, 95 percent of retailers agree that the store and the digital experience must be brought together for a continuous, seamless experience.

Other key findings state:

• 77 percent of retailers believe their legacy point-of-sale (POS) is preventing them from providing a consistent customer experience across channels.
• 78 percent report getting new technologies rolled out to stores is a top challenge.
• 94 percent of retailers say inventory insight across all channels is important.
• 95 percent of retailers say real-time visibility into customer activity across all channels is important.

Today’s highly connected consumers expect fluid and relevant interactions where their information with the brand is never lost across channels. Unfortunately, too many retailers still treat the in-store experience as completely separate from the online experience which frustrates customers and prevents retailers from capitalizing on opportunities for cross-sell, upsell and improved customer loyalty.

Many retailers are unsure of how to address these challenges. Replacing point systems like e-commerce or POS does not solve the underlying problem of a lack of visibility across the enterprise into customers, orders and inventory that is required to unify the customer experience between online and in-store.

“When it comes to how to support the convergence of digital and the full shopping journey, retailers are stuck – waiting for something better to come along than the disparate systems they have,” said Steve Rowan, Managing Partner of RSR Research and an author of the report. “The reality is there are options out there, but even better-performing retailers are cautious in approaching them, fearing both the cost and the pain of making the change.”

RSR conducted an online survey from March – May 2015 and received answers from 88 qualified
retail respondents, having a retail presence across USA, Canada, Latin America, UK, Europe, Midde-East, Africa and Asia-Pacific.

Access the complete Report here: