Making 'showrooming' part of retail

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As an example, Amazon is trialling the use of online shopping pick-up lockers in tube station car parks, making it even easier to buy online and collect the goods at a convenient location.

Mobile is the bridge between our physical and digital worlds and plays an ever-growing role in the multi-channel customer journey. According to the Mobile Commerce Compendium, nearly six out of 10 smartphone owners have used their device to search information while out shopping. The scary figure is that retailers lose nearly a third of shoppers to in-store mobile use.

Price is not the only factor driving the rise of online and mobile shopping... trust, ease of use and service levels are equally important. If retailers can provide easy access to goods and services via any channel in a consistent manner at a competitive price, they can ensure customers will showroom and shop from the same store.

"It may seem like a daunting prospect, but only by delivering a consistent and seamless experience, can retailers succeed in such a competitive environment," explained Tim Emens, EMEA Industry Director at Lexmark.

"Achieving this requires an omni-channel approach, an approach that handles every aspect of the buying process. The company's strength lies in offering advice on omni-channel best practice and back-end support to help retailers gain control over the data generated in the movement of goods. Improving document control and retention ensures instant access to relevant information to respond to shop/vendor enquiries, eliminates the need to fax or email forms between departments and facilities and reduces operating costs. Ultimately, reducing all these lengthy, costly and error-prone tasks means customers get the service level they require and remain loyal."