Introduction to the Special Issue Information Technology in Retail: Toward Omnichannel Retailing

TLDR

Retailers face new opportunities and challenges from smart mobile devices, social networks, and in‑store tech, prompting the rise of omnichannel integration that seeks seamless customer experiences across online and physical channels. This introduction summarizes focus‑group findings on IT’s role in retail, new business models, and the evolving place of traditional stores, while the four special‑issue papers further investigate these themes. The focus groups identified key issues: channel integration, mobile tech impact, social media’s growing role, the evolving function of brick‑and‑mortar stores, diverse customer demands, balancing personalization and privacy, and supply‑chain redesign. Keywords: cross‑channel, in‑store retail, mobile sales, multichannel online selling, social networks, supply chain.

Abstract

Abstract The increased deployment of new technologies such as smart mobile devices and social networks and the growing importance of in-store technological solutions create new opportunities and challenges for retailers. As the line between online and physical channels is blurred, a new approach to channel integration is emerging—the omnichannel, which aims to deliver a seamless customer experience regardless of the channel. This introduction presents the results of focus group discussions on the role of information technology in retail, new business models, and the future role of traditional stores as e-commerce advances. Key issues that emerged from the discussion include the need for channel integration, the impact of mobile technologies, the growing role of social media, the changing role of physical brick-and-mortar stores, the need to respond to diverse customer requirements, the balance between personalization and privacy, and, finally, supply chain redesign. The four papers in this Special Issue explore these themes further. Keywords: Cross-channele-tailin-store retailmobile salesmultichannelonline sellingsocial networkssupply chain