What’s in Store for Retail in 2015

Store associates will have real-time access to all that rich customer data via tablets and can actively engage with shoppers both before a sale (e.g., by swiping their store loyalty card to identify an individual) and during a purchase. The associate will be empowered to recommend items likely to appeal to a particular individual and to save sales by offering the shopper a range of purchase and delivery alternatives. As same-day fulfillment becomes more common, brick-and-mortar stores will also have more opportunities to compete with much larger pure-play online rivals.