Omnichannel is the theme of InternetRetailing’s September edition, as retailers continue on their quest to combine their digital and physical channels into a seamless journey for the customer.
While many retailers are focusing primarily on enhancing the online experience and honing their pitch to the burgeoning mobile market, some of the best practitioners are also realising the benefits that digital technology can bring to their stores.
Our cover interview with Dixons Carphone’s eCommerce director Stuart Ramage explores this issue in depth. The mobile phone retailer is providing staff with iPads which offer them a cut-down version of the consumer website to research products. It is also bringing some of the benefits of the physical store to mobile through its augmented reality mobile app.
We also look at Marks&Spencer’s collaboration with Microsoft to explore how artificial intelligence can be used to improve the customer experience in stores and boost the efficiency of its wider operations.
Elsewhere, InternetRetailing analyses the recent spate of shop closures on the UK high street and looks at how mobile is being used both to increase product discoverability and improve the in-store experience.
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