COVID-19 has fast tracked the adoption of emerging technologies in retail spaces, blurring the lines between traditional brick-and-mortar experiences and digital commerce. Where only a year ago we saw roughly 16 percent total penetration for e-commerce across sectors, we’ve now eclipsed 30 percent penetration, with certain categories meaningfully higher. This level of penetration represents a…
Walking into a brick-and-mortar store today feels a bit apocalyptic. Employees now don gloves, facemasks and even the occasional face shield for added protection. There are stickers meticulously placed at six-foot intervals in front of checkout counters to help consumers abide by social distancing rules. Plexiglass shields now act as a protective barrier between cashiers…
After years of hype and anticipation, artificial intelligence (AI) is starting to have a real impact on the retail industry. Within the next few years, AI will transform retailing, affecting everything from cost structures to the customer experience. AI goes hand-in-hand with e-commerce, and surging e-commerce growth rates — accelerated by the coronavirus pandemic —…
Almost nine months after COVID-19 started making its mark on the United States, lockdown restrictions and widespread working-from-home offices have caused many American consumers to rethink their shopping habits. While we still don’t know exactly when the pandemic will be declared over, what is clear is that the post-pandemic retail world will be different to…
‘Tis the season for shopping scams — and this year could see more retail scams than ever as people stay home and shop for deals online as a result of COVID-19 lockdown measures. In fact, recent research shows that nearly half of U.S. consumers (47 percent) have done more online shopping in 2020 than in…
Mobile technology use is soaring in retail, and for good reason. IHL Group found retailers that provide mobile sales tools for staff enjoy 77 percent higher sales growth than those that don’t, and those that deploy mobile point of sale (POS) achieve an impressive 92 percent higher sales. It’s rare to see such spectacular return…
A couple years ago retailers set a series of events in motion that inadvertently created one of the industry’s biggest challenges: how to manage the exponential rise in product returns while also meeting customers' high expectations. As it stands, artificial intelligence (AI) may be the only solution. How it Happened It all started with pure…
With stay-at-home restrictions easing across the country, what does the future landscape of retail look like? What do consumers face when ordering products online? We do know with the global pandemic that e-commerce has skyrocketed. Unfortunately, with the shift to e-commerce, we've also seen massive amounts of counterfeit products as well as products that were…
It was early 2020. Retail was confident it had the right marketing strategies, technology and understanding to reach and guide customers, no matter where they were and under any circumstance. Then suddenly everything changed and one of the very few unanticipated scenarios came into being. A pandemic required everyone to hunker down, undermined confidence, raised…
This year, retailers will need to capture the imagination of consumers as they consider the holiday season like no other. Immersive online experiences that are beautiful, personal, innovative and value driven will rule the season across every price point. To deliver a digital customer experience that's memorable and engaging for the 2020 holiday season, most…
