Although the US economic slump still threatens to impact retail sales growth in 2012, the retail industry is expected to grow at a rate faster than many other industries, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF). And, if the activity at this year’s annual NRF Convention & Expo is any indication of that growth, the outlook for 2012 is definitely encouraging. Clearly, New York City’s Javits Center was teeming with retailers who were seeking new technology solutions and mobile was definitely leading the way. 

From our perspective, mobile has progressed to the point where retailers are determined to bring the same enticing “Apple” experience into their stores with the lure of mobile technology. Whether it’s a line-busting mobile POS solution or retail clienteling apps on tablets, many of our customers are fairly certain which mobile technology they want to deploy; It’s figuring out the crucial “next steps,” like integration, security, and choosing an MDM platform, that many continue to find challenging. 
 

In RIS News’s recent 2012 Review & Outlook piece, Anthony Paoni, Professor of Technology & Innovation at the Kellogg School of Management, shared his prediction for the future of retail. While product, price and promotion are still important aspects for retailers to consider over the next 12 months, the real source of competitive advantage, he said, will be in their ability to quickly
 

• Identify growing consumer trends, and
• Execute a strategy more efficiently and effectively than competitors.

While the consumerization of IT certainly requires retailers to have the technology in place to support a seamless omni-channel experience, there are still concerns for many of the retailers we work with. Many are still trying to figure out which technologies can be easily integrated into their stores and what are some of the best solutions for them.

Retailers everywhere are feeling the pressure to add the latest and greatest customer touch points, like self-serve kiosks or tablets, that promise to extend their reach and increase their bottom line. But because POS technology has evolved into more of a centralized point-of-service with endless capabilities, it’s absolutely crucial that all key store operations and existing systems are communicating and operating together efficiently.

According to one recent report from Aberdeen Group, however, almost half of businesses continue to suffer with the inflexibility and poor performance due to disparate legacy applications. The study “The Customer Connected Store: 2011 Store Operations Best Practices,” uncovered that 45% of retailers actually identified it as the leading IT challenge today.