This year will be defined by speed, technology, and constant change in the retail world. Retailers must find a way to keep up or risk becoming obsolete. Based on exclusive research gathering different experts’ opinions about the ever-changing retail industry, we gathered the 5 trends for the future of retail.
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1. Quicker, Quicker!

A good shopping experience will be defined by two basic qualities: speed and convenience. Customers are becoming less patient when it comes to waiting for orders to be delivered, new items to arrive in stores, or attractive offers, and are increasingly valuing the opportunity to buy swiftly and conveniently. Quick-as-lightning deals, which are already common on Amazon, will become more common. Companies that assist customers to save time and simplify their day-to-day purchasing habits will be the true winners of this trend.

‍- How Can Intouch.com Help?
‍Intouch.com uses AI to understand the store, products and customers, displaying the right product, to the right customer, at the right time. With the use of digital signage instead of print advertising, advertisers and retailers can easily change or create new content to be displayed on the in-store screens to communicate quicker with the customer, without the need to wait for the printed material, nor wasting time, energy and resources.
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2. Making Conversations In-store is the New Win for Retailers
‍From web to mobile and in-person interactions, consumers now view personalization as the default standard for engagement. Making conversations is one of the core aspects that guarantee retailers’ success nowadays. So, who are the retailers that succeed today?
• Retailers offering highly tailored products and experiences: think customer-oriented.
• Retailers who have integrated their channels and can identify customers across many touchpoints and provide personalized services, goods, and offers both online and offline.
• Retailers who invest in predictive customer, product, and store analysis and leverage data from many sources to better understand and please their customers.‍

- How Can Intouch.com Help?
‍For this reason, Intouch.com built a solution that collects 100s of data points like day, time, dominant age group, gender, weather conditions and nearby events with the help of AI and ML, displaying the right ad, promotion, and discounts that are relevant to the shoppers in real-time, ensuring that retailers and CPGs can guarantee high ROI.
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3. From Omni-channel to Omni-experience
‍Omni-channel is no longer new; buyers complete their purchases across several channels, from browsing to selecting, purchasing, and picking up. Today's global consumers want a unified retail experience that allows them to seamlessly navigate between channels while maintaining complete knowledge of inventory and price. Retailers' success will be measured by their ability to bridge the offline and online experience with innovative and efficient solutions. Only the genuinely inventive— among the many retailers who already use digital tools in-store—  will succeed this year.
- A Successful Example: JD.com 
‍When it comes to an innovative omni-channel experience, JD.com would win. It is the first time for JD.com, a leading supply chain-based technology and service provider, to open two robotic shops by the new brand name, Ochama, in the Netherlands, merging online ordering and pick-up shops in which robots prepare the parcels, and home delivery service.

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4. Get Familiar With the 6 Key Evolutions Transforming Retail Stores Today
‍The physical store will not disappear as it is still an important part of the customer experience, but its role is changing. All retailers should be aware of the following points and adjust their stores accordingly. 
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- How Can Intouch.com Help?
‍At Intouch.com, we help retailers transform their physical stores to fit the ongoing evolution and be competent for their existing and future role, by committing to each of the above points. Interested to know how? Get Intouch!

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5. Get in Line With the Minimalist Mindset
‍In recent years, consumers adopted a minimalist mindset, prioritizing experiences over continued accumulation of products. In fact, 46% of global consumers would rather spend money on experiences rather than things, and this percentage increased 10 points in the last five years, according to Euromonitor. Creating one-of-a-kind engagements has the potential to bring in new revenue. So, how can retailers benefit from this? They need to use technology to transform physical retail from a place where things are sold to a place where customers can immerse themselves in brand experiences.

- How Can Intouch.com Help?
‍At Intouch.com, we’re taking consumers’ minimalist mindset into consideration! Our solution genuinely connects with customers by instantly and intelligently delivering highly engaging and profitable in-store experiences with our digital-first data-driven mindset. As a result, retailers will guarantee an increase in sales.

Want to digitize your store innovatively while guaranteeing a high ROI? Get in touch with our experts and know more about how we deliver a highly engaging personalized experience that matches the present and future market demands while also being highly PROFITABLE!