Tablet devices can be used for a variety of retail purposes. Sales associates can use them to help answer customer questions or check inventory, while companies could also set them up as demo stations. In 2012, a greater number of retailers are expected to make use of these devices to better serve customers, according to new data from RISNews.

The intended implementations of these devices vary: 51.9 percent will be used for sales floor support, 48.1 percent want to utilize tablets to refresh the store experience, 46.3 percent plan to increase comp-store sales and 42.6 percent intend to connect them to enterprise apps.

"Our research reveals that tablet adoption is no longer a question for retailers," commented Joe Skorupa, editor-in-chief at RIS News. "They know they are going to deploy tablets in the near-term, it’s just a matter of what types of tablets and how they’ll integrate them into the store experience."

Fortunately, tablet prices are dropping as well, making the barrier to entry that much lower for progressive retail brands.