The expansion of multi-channel retail has changed how we shop. Consumers are a moving target, traversing across the different channels throughout the shopping journey. Retailers are recognising that all shopping channels, from stock management to marketing functions, delivery options and accounting, are intricately interwoven and should be approached as such. Multi-channel is now the minimum standard expected of retailers, omni-channel is what retailers should be aspiring to, with retailers taking a truly holistic approach to business operations. By this we mean putting the customer at the centre of the approach and treating all channels (mobile, store, desktop, email, social) as one experience. Over the course of 2016, our reports have looked at how retailers are approaching these challenges and which retailers are winning at multi-channel retail. We assessed over 160 top UK retailers and reported on where they are found wanting in their offering. Features including geolocation, form adaptability and live stock information, were all a part of the assessment criteria. As we start 2017, the gap between the retailers who are getting it right and those that are trailing behind becomes clearly visible.

This report addresses these features and the other crosschannel technologies we predict will come to the fore of multi-channel retailing in 2017.

Darryl Adie, Managing Director, Ampersand