Omnichannel

For a boutique apparel and accessories retailer such as Apricot Lane Peoria (ALP), building a community of fans, and ultimately converting those fans into customers, is a top challenge. With a limited brick-and-mortar presence and a modest digital advertising budget, getting brand recognition was a concern for ALP. Enter Facebook.

Retailers are moving quickly to open new markets, enticed by double-digit growth and the global scale of international e-commerce. The appetite for U.S. brands is strong around the world, and the desire to shop online is growing at a tremendous clip.

An everything guide on how to be a successful omnichannel retailer in 2014

With an ever-changing technology like mobile, it's important to stay up to date with the trends and take action on the already tried-and-true strategies. Let's take a look at some of these trends and must-do tactics.

eBay has impressed me with shoppable windows, the expansion of eBay Now (its same-day delivery service) and its soon-to-be-launched virtual shopping mall "The Plaza." But the online retailer may have outdone itself with shoppable theater.

According to an October survey conducted by the Hay Group, only 14 percent of retailers reported having an omnichannel strategy in place, while 64 percent said their strategy is "still in progress." Retailers who find themselves a part of this majority are still working to connect the dots between traditional brick-and-mortar processes and e-commerce integration. A comprehensive understanding of how to leverage quality data for omnichannel success is needed to move forward in 2014. Let's break down the retailer's journey toward this evolution.  

They'll tap technology to get up close and personal with individual shoppers, mine "big data" for meaningful consumer insight, and invest heavily in fashion makeovers to breath new life into their stores. So said the CEOs of Macy's, J.C. Penney, Bloomingdale's, Ethan Allen, as well as Saks Fifth Avenue's new president a week into the job. After a long Monday at the National Retail Federation's Big Show in New York City, I stole a few moments with the executives during a party held by investment firm Financo at the Harmonie Club.

In the beginning of his session at the National Retail Federation's Big Show in New York City yesterday, Healey Cypher, head of retail innovation at eBay, asked the audience an intriguing question: Does offline even exist anymore? The days of consumers walking into a store without their smartphone are, for the most part, over. The convergence of channels has already taken place, and mobile is the chief reason why.

Even though the new year kicked off only a week ago, the retail industry is already buzzing about the new technologies and trends that will take over 2014. Before we get caught up discussing "All-Channel Retail," Retail Online Integration (ROI) wanted to take a final look back to see which trends shaped retail in 2013. Below are the top five articles (based on clickthroughs) from ROI in 2013:

When the Burberry CEO takes over as Apple's retail chief this spring, she will arrive with a sterling track record and an open, collaborative spirit that's sure to shake things up in the executive ranks. Meet the woman charged with making Apple shine again — and what she could mean for its legacy.