More consumers are making purchases online, but retailers with brick-and-mortar locations can take steps to make the in-store shopping experience more appealing. Everything from improving store layout and installing retail management software to modernizing the point of sale experience and offering loyalty rewards can inspire shoppers to visit retail locations in person to make purchases.

Forbes contributor Walter Loeb pointed to an emerging trend in brick-and-mortar retail that may help drive up business – Hub Destination Centers. The idea is for multiple retailers to congregate in one area, giving shoppers a one-stop location that offers a diverse selection of products and services. An HDC would differ from traditional mall settings by offering exciting events and experiences to draw crowds of shoppers. Loeb suggested hosting events such as fashion shows and regularly scheduled social gatherings like dance nights and holiday functions.

While an HDC would be more of a communal effort between multiple retailers, businesses will also want to focus on their own retail experience. A great way to do this is to integrate ecommerce software with in-store shopping through mobile apps. UX Magazine recommended creating a mobile app that can serve as a sort of personal shopper, giving consumers feedback such as in-depth product descriptions and customer reviews about various items.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Thursday, April 17th, 2014 at 10:20 am .

Ecommerce software was a major game-changer in retail operations, allowing merchants to take their business online to virtually limitless marketplaces. However, this is hardly the last frontier molding the retail landscape. Recent advancements in retail technology have presented decision-makers with exciting opportunities to re-imagine the way they engage customers and attract loyal patrons to their stores.

Rather than driving out brick-and-mortar storefronts, technology has offered merchants fascinating ways to interact with consumers across various platforms, making the most of the unique opportunities inherent in each one. Pointing to the omnipresence of retail possibilities and the extent to which technology can catalyze a merchant's success, analysts have noted that retailers would be wise to pay attention to some of the latest trends forging the future of the industry.

Here are a few insights from Forbes contributor David Dorf of Oracle and experts that participated in the recent Retail Technology Conference, as reported by RIS:

• More data, from everywhere. Physical stores will collect information in similar ways as online channels, Dorf predicted. With the Internet of Things offering greater opportunities for sensors and other connected devices, retailers can observe trends such as customers' paths around stores before they make purchase decisions. All of this data can contribute to retail business intelligence initiatives.
• Traditional methods work, too. Steve Siebel, vice president of merchandising for Aerosoles, explained at the RTC that his company mailed millions of catalogs, since they're still the "number one driver of store and online traffic." This goes to show that older strategies and new technologies can support one another.
• It's personal. Retail technology offers merchants the tools they need to conduct personalized marketing campaigns, with promotions and advertisements tailored to shoppers' unique histories and preferences. Dorf noted that a recent study showed that 73 percent of respondents preferred the idea of "individual retail."
• Customer service and shopping experiences are worthy of close attention. Not only are patrons' expectations changing in step with technology, but advancements have enabled retailers to set themselves apart by creating impressive encounters. Sam Hogenson, vice president of customer-facing technology for Nordstrom, told conference attendees that he gives his attention first and foremost to supporting employees who serve as the primary points of contact for shoppers.
• It's a fast-paced world. Customers expect instant gratification, inspiring merchants to develop ways to deliver products faster and more conveniently, Dorf noted. Similarly, retailers must keep up with ever-changing technology and consumer trends. Hogenson emphasized business leaders must "keep up with the speed of change. Stop thinking, start doing. Holding one-hour meetings for four weeks isn't moving fast enough."

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Thursday, April 17th, 2014 at 5:18 am .

It's easy to click away from a site at a moment's notice, which means online retailers need to ensure their ecommerce software is not just efficient but pleasing to the consumer. This includes everything from site navigation and page layout to product descriptions and customer service. Fine-tuning an online retail store to give shoppers a personal experience can positively impact sales and customer loyalty.

A Harris Interactive study conducted in 2013 found that offering decent customer service options could be enough to prevent 56 percent of surveyed consumers from moving away from a particular brand or company. Live chats with customer service representatives, for example, can prove useful. However, Practical Ecommerce recommended retailers be wary of overdoing it with tools like pop-up chat windows. Having the window pop up on multiple pages can annoy customers to the point of clicking away from your site before they make a purchase.

Retail analytics can help you gain a clearer picture of what your customers want to see in your ecommerce store. At the same time, it's important to gage how shoppers are reacting to newly implemented strategies. Gathering feedback from people who subscribe to your email newsletter, for instance, could make it easier to know what is and isn't working.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Wednesday, April 16th, 2014 at 11:30 am .

Business Intelligence, the collection and analysis of large quantities of data, may hold the key to improving retail sales.

Retail management software can be used to collect and store data about customers – what they buy, how much they spend, whether they take part in sales or loyalty programs, and more. Online stores can do the same with the right ecommerce software, tracking how shoppers arrive at their site, how much time they spend on different pages and the rate of cart abandonment at the point of sale, among other information.

The global retail industry is investing more in BI, as the latest report from Research and Markets showed that the market for global BI in the retail industry is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 9.19 percent between 2013 and 2018. The growth is attributed mainly to retailers' ability to gather more information and the consequent increase in the volume and variety of data.

Ecommerce and POS software can collect data, but it only becomes useful when it can be visualized as part of the big picture. This is where BI comes in. Analyzing this information can help retailers make more informed decisions concerning when to hold sales, which items to mark down, where to advertise and more.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Wednesday, April 16th, 2014 at 5:25 am .

Many have speculated that the rise of ecommerce would lead to the fall of brick-and-mortar, but as online shopping gains popularity, the landscape of in-store retail has adapted. In Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn., for example, city officials have seen the number of vacant big-box retail stores drop by about 50 percent in the past five years, according to Twin Cities Business.

"There is still demand for space. It may not be the same uses that were once in place, but there's still demand for space," Tom Martin, a commercial real estate broker, told the source. "And there's very little new space coming online."

A big part of the renewed interest is that retailers are finally recovering from the recession and able to resume business that was lagging during the economic dip of recent years.

Brick-and-mortar stores will need to alter their business practices to keep up with the latest ecommerce software. Business 2 Community suggested offering incentives, such as discounts or rewards, for purchasing in-store rather than online. A loyalty program for frequent customers could enhance the point of sale experience and keep shoppers coming back time and again.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Tuesday, April 15th, 2014 at 10:50 am .

Retail sales saw month-over-month gains in March, but the growth was modest compared to the same time period last year thanks to the slow start of spring weather and the late timing of the Easter holiday. However, retailers will likely see an uptick of store traffic in April as the weather improves.

"Retailers and investors will be looking for strong Easter sales coupled with the release of pent-up demand for warmer weather merchandise this month," Ken Perkins, an analyst with Retail metrics Inc., told the LA Times. 

He explained that sales at stores operational for more than a year increased 2.5 percent last month, which lagged behind the previous year's gains of 3.5 percent. The number of shoppers actually visiting stores dropped 1 percent, The Wall Street Journal reported. Part of the reason may be that Easter falls in April this year, whereas last year the holiday was observed in March.

While shoppers are expected to spend more this month, retailers can shift the odds in their favor by upgrading their retail management software and finding new ways to improve the point of sale experience. For instance, installing POS software that accepts multiple payment methods, such as mobile payment apps, may encourage shoppers to make purchases.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Tuesday, April 15th, 2014 at 6:08 am .

Ecommerce is growing quickly in India, and as more Indian shoppers go online to make purchases, retailers should capitalize on the various trends in this sector. A recent study by Accel Partners, an Indian venture capital firm, predicted that the value of the nation's ecommerce industry will increase by as much as 400 percent between 2013 and 2016.

So, what should retailers be doing to reap the benefits of this rapid growth? SiliconIndia News highlighted a few of the latest trends in online retail that businesses can take advantage of. One suggestion was to leverage ecommerce software that can be tailored for search engine optimization and provide a higher quality experience for online shoppers.

Improving the customer experience can be profitable as well. Retailers that offer personalized shopping experiences with features such as live customer assistance and product customization may be able to pull ahead of the competition. The source recommended employing the use of data analytics to get a better sense of the types of people visiting a particular ecommerce website. Since so many shoppers use mobile phones and tablets to browse online retail sites, it may also be worthwhile to optimize retail software to work seamlessly across these channels.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Monday, April 14th, 2014 at 11:29 am .

Keeping up with current trends takes more than simply offering the latest products and fashions, and businesses looking to boost sales may want to consider altering their approach to retail marketing. Using social media to interact with customers and forge relationships with your audience can be made more useful if you're connecting with them on a more intimate level. 

Entrepreneur recommended befriending customers by posting content similar to what they themselves might be posting and would want to see in their social news feeds. Funny photos and posts about trending topics may be more effective than solely focusing on your brand and products. News stories relevant to your products can also be engaging. For instance, fashion retailers may want to keep an eye on celebrity gossip, highlighting stories in which stars are wearing clothing or accessories that customers could find in your online store.

A recent eMarketer study revealed that 88 percent of marketers will be using social media to reach consumers by the end of 2014. By taking a unique approach to these marketing channels, retailers can stand out from the crowd and better engage their audience. A good marketing strategy, in combination with effective ecommerce software can help improve the brand experience, which will aid in the growth of your retail business.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Monday, April 14th, 2014 at 11:27 am .

It's no secret that not all traffic to an ecommerce website will result in sales, but a decent amount of customers select items and begin the checkout process only to abandon their digital shopping carts at the point of sale. The issue is costing U.K. retailers more than £1.02 billion (nearly $600 million) annually, according to a recent Experian report. The findings also indicated that online shoppers were deciding to not purchase items due largely to inefficient and archaic identification processes, but there are many other reasons for shopping cart abandonment as well.

What services are working to convert site traffic to sales?
CWCS Managed Hosting, a U.K. server and hosting company, recently conducted research to learn more about what convinced and dissuaded British shoppers from making purchases online. Some aspects of ecommerce software may not only meet customers' expectations, but convince them to spend even more than they might've planned. For instance, 53 percent of shoppers who took part in the survey said they were likely to spend more when an online store offered better payment security, and 49 percent felt that better personal information protection gave them the confidence to spend more.

Online merchants may want to emphasize these two areas of their retail management systems as well as accurate delivery dates, more payment methods and customized offers. All of these factors have helped encourage shoppers to make bigger purchases, so improving upon them may drive sales.

Why are shoppers abandoning carts?
The biggest issue that led to abandonment was unexpected costs, which were enough to convince 56 percent of shoppers not to buy. Another 26 percent were dissuaded from making a purchase if they were required to register an account on the retailer's site. Merchants may want to offer a way for buyers to check out without signing up, such as creating a guest account option.

Confusing navigation, site crashes and prolonged load times rounded out the top five reasons British shoppers changed their minds about making a purchase. In fact, the researchers learned that 57 percent of online shoppers give up after waiting just three seconds for a page to load. Retailers may want to take a closer look at their sites' functionality and the quality of the online shopping experience. Better POS software, for instance, could help reduce the frequency of cart abandonment.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Sunday, April 13th, 2014 at 10:09 am .

The right approach to online merchandising can help drive up sales, but with so many retail marketing strategies to choose from it can be difficult to discern the best options for your brand. When you are gearing up to improve your merchandising tactics, the first step is to define your target audience. Once you have a better idea of the type of shoppers browsing your online store, you will be able to choose the ideal venues to market merchandise on your site.

Smart Insights suggested looking into your retail customer intelligence to get to know your customer base better. The right retail management software can track data such as the devices people are using to browse your site, the way they arrived at your online store and their location. You might also want to find out how shoppers are arriving at your site. Did they search for a particular product or follow a link from one of your social media channels? This information can help you form a big picture of your average customer and help you tailor the online shopping experience to fit that demographic.

The way you present your products on your site can influence sales as well. For example, listing related items on a product page may inspire shoppers to purchase complementary goods, according to Practical Ecommerce.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Thursday, April 10th, 2014 at 10:40 am .