Significant disconnects between physical and digital commerce and store and corporate leadership are among the key barriers to improving the grocery experience, according to a study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Research Triangle Park, North Carolina-based Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions.
The study, which surveyed 346 high-volume store leaders and corporate level customer experience decision-makers, shows a need for retailers to create more effective ways to generate customer data and insight from in-store shopping and to align their physical and digital commerce strategies and deployments.
Respondents report that an inability to digitize in-store customer data, outdated systems and a lack of tools to share insights and operational data are among the barriers to improving the in-store shopping experience:
- 54 percent say systems are outdated and not connected;
- 60 percent report too many disparate systems and tools hinder a cohesive view of their customers and operations; and
- 79 percent believe that corporate management does not prioritize unifying stores with digital commerce.
Despite these challenges, the study revealed a consensus among the participants: leveraging a new generation of AI-driven tools to synchronize physical and digital commerce has the potential to empower store teams and lead to improved grocery experience.
The study highlighted that:
- 94 percent of respondents reported that incorporating customer data into the store is very or extremely impactful to the customer experience; and
- 91 percent said that their leadership currently views those experiences as separate.
To learn more about the Forrester Consulting study, “Empower Retail Stores with Smarter Insights and Aligned Technology to Improve CX” commissioned by Toshiba, those interested can watch a special webinar. It features Forrester Principal Analyst Emily Pfeiffer and Fredrik Carlegren, Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions VP, head of marketing and communications.
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