Study: In-store technology critical for growth, helping customer relationships

Palo Alto, Calif. -- Seventy percent of retailers are empowering their employees with technology-enabled touch points to help their businesses to differentiate and evolve, according to a recent RSR Research report cosponsored by HP.



The study finds that by arming their associates with a range of technologies that provide relevant and timely information -- such as digital signage, self-service kiosks, mobile devices and advanced point-of-sale systems -- retailers can increase productivity and boost multichannel selling opportunities.



Other key findings in the survey of nearly 100 retail executives from around the world include:

• Retailers see valuable support in self-service kiosks (43% ) and cross-channel customer and inventory synchronization technologies through real-time updates (70%).


• Seventy-eight percent of retailers listed their modern POS systems as an important factor in the customer experience. Offering in-store rewards or coupons also is seen as critical (75%).


• Fifty-seven percent of retailers believe delivering information to store-owned phones, tablets and PDAs has a lot of potential value. By contrast, in 2010, only 21% perceived these solutions as valuable.

“Customers have raised the bar, and successful retailers realize that the traditional means of educating employees and interacting with customers is no longer enough,” said Ray Carlin, VP Retail Solutions Global Business Unit, HP. “We provide a flexible store platform to help retailers deliver multichannel selling opportunities and a more engaging shopping experience.”



The research report is available for download here.