Stop and think about a day you could go without your smartphone. You are checking your calendar to see when or if that is even possible. And yet you may not realize that checking email, texting your doctor or tracking your children’s usage is only part of the life your smart device breathes into you. Last year, Americans made almost 30% of purchases through a mobile device. Next-day and same-day delivery created a market for mobile shoppers and retailers are responding.

The one where the market creator remains the market leader

Amazon, the retail Goliath, created the market for instant gratification with its online presence and product availability.

The headlines continue to predict the apocalypse of the physical store and assert that the new normal will belong solely to e-commerce, mobile, and omni-channel retailers. Because of all the fuss, many retailers today have a tendency to focus primarily on process and technology; but in turn, they forget about one of their most important assets—their people. It’s more accurate to say that retail is simply evolving—rebalancing amid a market where it’s tantamount that brands and retailers continue to focus on three key aspects of their businesses: people, process, and technology.

We thought this was an interesting article. Published by Forbes this month it talks about how it’s a virtual certainty that this year will end with physical stores sales not only being up year over year (again) but also, according to eMarketer, contributing more incremental sales growth than e-commerce.

Great news but for all retailers? Here's what Mitchell Chi, ICCG's General Manager - Americas, Enterprise Software has to say...

My thoughts about the collapse of the middle…

Did you know that 83% of retail shoppers enjoy socializing with friends centered on physical stores? Some retailers, when pressured to increase margins, focused on cutting wages, training and staff. They shifted spending to store displays, traditional advertising, and  a poor product assortment. These retailers deserved to die. Good riddance. 

But all of this makes the mid-market ripe for a low cost, “social retailer.” One like Primark. Great selection, well trained staff and FUN. My go to store for weekend, lay around the house clothing. 

Although most of the growth in retail is happening online, physical retail often still represents 90% of a retailer’s sales. One way to leverage existing physical locations and provide a more efficient experience for customers is to support “Buy On-line, Pick-up In-Store,” or BOPIS for short. Customers do their research online, select their products, and later pick up the items at a physical store. However, the road to supporting BOPIS has many pitfalls to avoid. We’ve collected 10 common BOPIS issues that smart retailers should address, before their omni-channel evolution leaves their customers wanting more.

Infor's Matt Jones discusses three major causes at the root of these BOPIS boo-boos, that are creating a negative customer experience and impacting the retailer’s profitability. They are: 

Today's customers are bombarded by offers from a wide range of companies that want their business. But when offers are targeted and truly exclusive - delivered with pinpoint accuracy to ideal buyers - they can stand out from competing offers and generate a much greater sense of brand loyalty. In this episode, we're joined by Sai Koppala and Bill Schneider from SheerID - a marketing solution that helps retailers acquire new customers through gated exclusive offers. 

Independent Computer Consulting Group (ICCG) a Global Information Technology Solutions Provider for the Enterprise today announced the appointment of John Greenaway as Chief Revenue Officer – EMEA, effective immediately. Greenaway previously served as a Channel Director at Infor for the last 10 years, where he was responsible for growing revenue across EMEA. As Chief Revenue Officer - EMEA, Greenaway will champion ICCG’s efforts to expand its software consulting and implementation footprint into Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

Independent Computer Consulting Group (ICCG) a Global Information Technology Solutions Provider for the Enterprise today announced the appointment of Annette Cunningham as Chief Operating Officer – EMEA, effective immediately. Cunningham previously served for 4-1/2 years as a Regional Vice President of Sales at Infor managing a team of industry-leading sales people and channel partners. As COO, Cunningham will lead ICCG’s efforts to expand its software consulting and implementation footprint into Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

Independent Computer Consulting Group (ICCG) a Global Information Technology Solutions Provider for the Enterprise announced today that it has brought on board Mitchell Chi as General Manager for Americas for the Fashion & Retail and Manufacturing verticals. Mr. Chi, former Senior Director - Retail and Fashion at Infor, joins ICCG bringing with him a rich and successful career in fashion, retail, and manufacturing and distribution. He’s a multi-talented, industry veteran with experience at Price Waterhouse, Goldman Sachs, Garan International, Oracle, and a wide variety of retail, finance and manufacturing enterprises and startups.

In this episode, we’re joined by Udayan Bose from NetElixir, a retail search market firm specializing in getting a deeper understanding of consumer behavior and the paths that retail’s Most Valuable Customers (MVCs) take to purchase—helping retailers engage with them in the right time and place to make the most sales.

With so much glitter in the retail tech space it’s hard to see where the gold really lies. Infor’s Doug Tiffan and Chris Field, CEO of Fieldworks, a tech PR, content and digital marketing agency based in the UK, join us to discuss how retailers can avert their eyes from the flashy tech that won’t sustain them, get back to basics, and build for the future by imagining they’re building a retail enterprise from scratch.