Editor's Note: Key Retail Trends From eTail West

“It’s going to take sophisticated technology to take advantage of all of that data, so there’s much more of an emphasis on the data and the technology needed to analyze it.” In fact, data isn’t only the domain of tech guru geeks anymore. Agarwal cited a recent study from technology research firm Gartner which projected that by 2017 chief marketing officers will spend more money on IT resources than chief information officers. “Retailers and e-tailers who harness this data and analyze it will have a competitive advantage,” he noted.