Retailers struggle to integrate mobile devices

It is impossible now to ignore the influence mobile and smart devices now hold in the retail industry – and retailers are finding themselves having to react ever quicker to growing customer demand. Merchants are under more and more pressure

as they are already struggling to quickly pull together different channels to create a utilised multi channel programme – integrating mobile into strategies.

Dan Hartveld, director of mobile at Red Ant, says 85 per cent of all new handsets sold in the UK now have internet connectivity, which means the channel simply cannot be ignored by any retailer and is quickly becoming a key driver of web sales.

This is certainly the case at online fashion retailer Shop Direct Group where group e-commerce director Jonathan says the company has enjoyed a four-fold increase over the past six months, with “hockey stick growth” being experienced.

He adds: “The buzzword in our business is mobile. We’ve a non mobile-optimised site and we are getting three per cent of sales on it. We’ll be launching a mobile-optimised site and expect sales to ramp up.”

Mobile is now proving itself to be the most valuable one-to-one form of communication with customers. So the device is now finding itself a core element of any loyalty scheme.

With mobile currently causing disruption in the existing retail chain and retailers struggling to really implement its potential commercial power, Ian Patterson, managing director EMEA at DigiPoS Store Solutions, says,"It would be true to say we are seeing a paradigm shift, but in order to embrace the opportunities presented by mobile, I believe retailers face a challenge in integrating their legacy systems. They need to work with the right partner to develop a scalable solution and to create a uniform, multi-channel customer experience."