The vision of a seamless shopper experience in brick-and-mortar stores—where digital and physical combine for one view of inventory or buying history—is far from reality for the majority of retailers. And even as retailers strive towards what consumers currently want from the in-store shopping experience, those expectations will continue to evolve.

In the race for remaining relevant to the customer, how can brick-and-mortar retailers prepare for the continuous change in shopping habits, affinities and even types of shoppers?

The answer lies in unified commerce and a modern point-of-service (POS) platform.

Addressing the not-so-seamless store journey

In today’s stores, digital channels directly influence almost a third of sales, according to EKN Research, and this number is likely to grow. In-store and online shopping experiences are converging, and a blended and seamless “digital” shopping experience that combines the best of both worlds is at the center of differentiating the customer experience and winning loyalty now and in the future.

But this digital transformation is far from easy. And developing and maintaining a true modern store that can deliver a seamless experience is not an end state for retailers but a journey.

Retailers who aim at providing unified commerce require anytime-anywhere checkout, product information, customer order and loyalty history, and an effective record of inventory to help guide shoppers in their buying journey.

This can now all be achieved with a modern POS platform that improves online order visibility, loyalty redemption, mobile app integration, throughput rates, and new forms of payment and check-out time for complex cross-channel orders.

The difficult choices for the retailer lies in selecting a comprehensive and flexible system that addresses both the current and future digital, physical and omnichannel nature of transactions and next wave of customer relationships.

So where do retailers start?

Achieving a unified store experience

In a new retail industry point of view, EKN Research addresses the current, not-so-seamless store journey and discusses how to prepare for the next generation of shoppers in the store.

The report shares more about leading factors in upgrading towards a unified store experience and a modern POS platform; the strategic elements you’ll want to incorporate when making the switch; and offers a four-pillar strategy to creating a real, modern POS strategy for your stores.

Download the report and start your modern store journey now!

LinkedIn: Pinar Salk

Download the EKN Industry Point of View

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