Special Report: Retail Vertical Watch

Vendors, distributors, and software and service providers are itching to cash in on trends uncovered at the 2013 NRF BIG Show that are expected to influence the market throughout the year. Rightfully so: due to the economic recovery, retailers are more eager to research and buy solutions to help them keep pace with technological advancements and consumer trends.

“There’s a lot of pent up demand in the retail technology space as we come out of the recession,” Joe Finizio, President and CEO of the Retail Solutions Providers Association (RSPA), told Channel Marketer Report. “A lot of organizations held onto their basic technologies during that time and now, are looking to replace them to better compete with online merchants.”

The new era of retail — which is more converged and interconnected than ever before — presents an opportunity for innovation within the retail technology space. Finizio explained that more organizations are entering the channel marketplace, creating new and cutting-edge technologies that enable retailers to implement experiential marketing tactics and in turn, optimize the customer experience.

In this special Vertical Watch report, retail industry thought leaders, vendors, resellers and distributors comment on current IT trends emerging specifically in the retail space. Moreover, these sources will share best practices into how organizations across the channel can develop new partnerships to succeed in the new era of omnichannel retail.

Key topics include:

• The current IT space in retail;
• New and emerging channel opportunities;
• Top trends among retailers: customer experience, mobility and cloud computing; and
• Best practices for creating winning solutions and channel relationships.