Editor's Note: Experts Forecast the Retail Trends to Watch
I recently asked Retail Online Integration's (ROI) stellar editorial advisory board for 100 words or less on an omnichannel retail trend they believe will have a big impact on businesses this year. As expected, I got some great responses back. What follows are the board members’ insights into what your business should be focusing on in the New Year:
"One of the most significant retail trends in 2015 is the continued growth in the adoption of smartphones for everything digital. Last year saw the separation between tablet and smartphone, with tablet traffic and sales somewhat stagnant while smartphone traffic and sales escalated at a rapid rate. The rise in smartphone usage can be traced to the comfort level with the smartphone as a multipurpose device as well as the popularity of larger screen phones. In addition, from a retail standpoint, e-commerce players are finally rallying and improving their smartphone user experience, either through responsive design or mobile applications. Popular nonretail smartphone apps such as Uber and OpenTable have given users confidence to dive into digital retail via smartphones. Add in the anywhere, anytime convenience factor and there's no turning back from mobile continuing to gain device market share." — Peter Cobb, Co-Founder and Senior Vice President, eBags
"At The Limited, we're definitely focusing on omnichannel programs/technology implementations to allow customers to get a product wherever and whenever she wants. This comes with an increased focus on mobile initiatives (not just conversion, but research, too). Lastly, we continue to focus on our client-first initiatives, which include personalization and ‘clienteling.’ With the growth of online webrooming, we'll be creating more branded content pages that leverage creative assets in an engaging way for our customers to maximize their experiences." — Jenn McClain-De Jong, Vice President, E-Commerce, The Limited
"Our 2015 trend continues to be taming the Amazon beast. Retailers can be beaten by Amazon or work with Amazon in a way that's effective and doesn't destroy their margins and pricing. Doing the latter is becoming a more and more valuable thing for us and will be a big focus for 2015." — Mike Faith, President and CEO, Headsets.com
Melissa Campanelli is Editor-in-Chief of Total Retail. She is an industry veteran, having covered all aspects of retail, tech, digital, e-commerce, and marketing over the past 20 years. Melissa is also the co-founder of the Women in Retail Leadership Circle.
