We saw more merchants venture into omnichannel retailing and try
in-store marketing solutions such as beacons to enrich the shopping
experience. This year, we anticipate stores to double down on these
strategies and continue to find ways to bridge the gap between offline
and digital channels.
In addition, we expect platforms such as social media and mobile to play bigger roles in people's shopping experiences.
Many retailers leveraged social to engage users and
influence their merchandising decisions this year, but in 2015, we’re
anticipating companies to go beyond that and use social not just to
showcase products, but to actually sell them.
The same goes for mobile. Companies won’t just use the
small screen to “get in front” of customers (i.e. through geo-fencing
and mobile-enabled sites). In 2015, retailers will step up their efforts
by incorporating mobile into other parts of the customer journey,
including order fulfillment, payments, and loyalty.
We discuss these trends—among many others—in more detail below. Read through the following predictions by Vend