High Street Stores To Become Tech Savvy In 2012

According to a recent report, all high street stores will transform into hi-tech, high touch ‘experience’ centres in 2012.

Predicted findings by Manhattan Associates, a global solutions provider for supply chain leaders, reveal that many retailers are set to change to meet the demand of a multichannel world. The industry experts foretold that more products will be sold online and that items sold in-store will focus on a narrower more personalised range. But the corporation envisages that more retailers will look to make their high street presence more experiential to cater to the evolving needs and tastes of shopper. The company also believes that self-checkouts and sales assistants armed with mobile devices will renovate the way customers interact with sales staff.

A recent example which confirms the forecast is a store in Paris which opened an interactive lab where consumers could test out the kitchen equipment in-store before ordering online. But the report states that retailers need to be prepared for customers to buy through a variety of channels and to offer them an array of shopping experiences for them to research, buy and collect wherever they want. Craig Sears- Black, UK managing director of Manhattan Associates, said that 2012 will be a challenging year for the retail industry but that at the same time, the opportunities for retailers to serve consumers better will be greater than ever because of new technologies. Protouch touch screen software can help any retail business meet the growing needs of consumers. Just have a look and see how our touch screen kiosks aided leading clothing and homeware retailer, Matalan.