The UK's retail future will be 'connected'

This article is brought to you by Retail Technology Review: The UK's retail future will be 'connected'.

Marketing and technology consultancy, Amaze, reveals the findings from its latest white paper entitled 'Connected Retail – The Future of the High Street', which looks at the role Connected Retail technology is playing in linking consumers, devices and data for smarter shopping experiences, from the high street to online, in-store to mobile applications.  The white paper illustrates how only the retailers who use the right mix of offline and online experiences for their customers will have a real commercial future on the high street.

The Amaze white paper identifies three core areas where Connected Retail can be intelligently applied to improve the in-store experience and sets out how retailers can get ready for Connected Retail by:

• Improving service delivery – linking consumer data and research to purchase phases

• Delivering a personalised experience – tailoring products to consumers' personal requirements to support sales

• Enhancing the brand experience – creating meaningful experiences that move the consumer from transacting to conversing with brands

Other insights in the white paper include:

Connected customer service – stores are now linking customer data and mobile and tablet devices to empower employees and build better, more meaningful relationships with their customers.  Examples include the use of location positioning iPhone apps, mobile POS and real-time inventory access.

The rise of 'me-tailing' – new technologies now enable customers to research products anywhere, purchase anywhere and fulfill their needs anywhere, via apps and interactive window displays.

Amaze also sets out a vision of what the future high street will look like and how this will be shaped by key factors such as the imminent roll out of 4G networks across the UK.  It examines the rise of pop-up brands and the emergence of branded high streets as well as how stores will become ambassadors for brands.

Commenting on the white paper's insights, Rick Curtis, Chief Strategy Officer at Amaze, says: "The wave of digital and technological innovation that is sweeping across the high street is creating a shopping environment with the connected consumer at its heart.  For those brands that want to keep ahead of the curve and build a seamless customer experience, the very real benefits of Connected Retail are now here for the taking."

To download the white paper please visit http://www.amaze.com/news/news-items/Whitepaper_Connected_Retail.aspx