RETAIL DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION MARKET ANALYSIS

Market Concentration and Competitive Landscape

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Rising Adoption of Omnichannel Retailing

With the advancement of technologies, customers are no longer limited to traditional brick-and-mortar stores for shopping. They now expect a seamless omnichannel experience regardless of which channel they use. Customers want to be able to research products online, check real-time availability and pricing, place orders online for in-store pickup or delivery, return online purchases at physical stores, and so on. As a result, retailers are investing heavily in integrating their online and offline channels to provide a unified shopping experience to customers.

Enabling omnichannel retailing requires significant digital transformation across the retail organization. Retailers need to overhaul their supply chain and inventory management systems to facilitate activities such as buy online pickup in-store. They also need to modernize their point-of-sale systems to allow associates to efficiently manage buy online return in-store transactions. Most importantly, retailers are focusing on developing a strong omni-commerce strategy and building consistent brand experiences over different channels. They are leveraging technologies like AI and predictive analytics to gain better customer insights and create personalized recommendations and engagement. All these initiatives require heavy investments in areas like cloud computing, mobility solutions, and data analytics tools. Therefore, the growing need amongst retailers as well as customers to enjoy a truly omnichannel shopping experience has become a major force driving digital transformation initiatives across the retail sector.

Rise of Mobile Commerce and In-store Technologies

Another key trend fuelling digital initiatives has been the exponential growth of mobile commerce. According to surveys, over 80% of customers now use their smartphones to research products while shopping in physical stores. They scan product barcodes for reviews and pricing checks, or click on promotional QR codes for more information. Customers have also come to expect in-store access to the entire catalog, easy payment options, and engagement through digital concierge services. As a result, retailers are extensively employing mobile point-of-sale solutions, digital signage, interactive kiosks, augmented/virtual reality trials, beacons, and inventory management devices driven by Internet of Things technologies.

In order to deliver on these rising customer expectations of an enriched in-store experience, retailers need to implement innovative mobile and digital in-store technologies. This requires modernizing their infrastructure with investments in areas like cloud computing, digital asset management systems, mobility platforms, and location services.