Omnichannel

By Jay Henderson, Global Strategy Director, IBM Smarter Commerce

Dublin, Calif. -- Epicor Software Corporation announced that Grupo Axo, the business partner of internationally renowned retail brands within Mexico, has selected the full Epicor Retail Suite to help support its highly successful and expanding retail operations.

Austin, Texas -- Digby has launched several new upgrades to Localpoint, its platform that facilitates consumer engagement in and around brick-and-mortar locations. Localpoint now offers enhanced targeting based on opted-in consumer profile data, the ability to measure a campaign’s success at driving foot traffic to retail stores and extended integration APIs that allow brands to leverage a consumer's presence across the enterprise.

While we wait for all of the official numbers to come in from the 2013 holiday shopping season — a topic I’ll address in a future column — I thought this might be a good time to expand on one of the points I made about retail downsizing in my 2014 forecast piece.

Major retailers have successfully faced down emerging e-tailers and their aggressive pricing tactics by upgrading their e-commerce platforms and readjusting their pricing to strengthen their hold on shoppers. To fully complete their turnaround, however, they must judiciously apply bricks and mortar to their competitive advantage.

According to Cognizant’s fourth annual survey, “2013 Shopper Experience Study: Rise of the Individual Shopper,” consumers still value the in-store experience, but have exceedingly higher expectations.

Upscale department store retailer Bloomingdale’s isn’t a name typically associated with football, but that all changes this year as a result of the Super Bowl being held in New York for the first time ever.

Bloomingdale’s, operator of 37 department stores nationwide, will use its flag ship store on 59th Street in Manhattan to unveil a collection of designer helmets and a unique and stylish collection of entertaining essentials beginning January 15.

The convergence of a number of leading-edge technologies is launching a revolution in the customer experience. Mobile devices, social media, 24/7 connectivity and a blurring of the lines between formerly separate customer service “channels” have upended the rules of retail, forever disrupting the notion of business as usual. It’s a brave new world — and one that Chain Store Age will explore at its first-ever Customer Disruption event, May 7-9, 2014, at Sofitel Hotel in Redwood Shores, Calif., the Gateway to the Silicon Valley.

The only sure thing about disruption is that it will continue evolving at an increasingly rapid pace and in new and surprising directions. But for a last word, perhaps the industry should consider the following prediction from Nikki Baird, managing partner of RSR Research, on where disruption may be headed for 2014.