Digital marketing and technology agency LBi and its media arm bigmouthmedia have released a joint whitepaper on digital innovation in the retail sector.

The document analyses how the touchable web and the trends towards a multi-device, multi-channel future are fast becoming an opportunity for retail brands to engage and reward consumers with deep and positive retail and marketing experiences.

It also looks into the blurring edges of the online and offline environments and the opportunities presented by consumers expecting to interact with brands and make purchase decisions spontaneously, wherever they are, whenever they want.

The whitepaper draws in knowledge of these wider technology trends and explains their impact, and how they can be harnessed to develop brand and retail loyalty. Areas under the microscope include new technology in retail; mobile retailing; integrated marketing; display technologies; CRM and social customer service; affiliate marketing; multichannel user experiences; and creative social media. 

It concludes that the importance of mobile for retailers cannot be underestimated, with more consumers browsing and buying through their smartphones. QR codes, Augmented Reality and NFC are the
technologies that offer the most opportunities for the retail sector, the whitepaper says, adding that retailers also need to prepare to face new challenges, such as “digital shoplifting” or the loss of turnover due to price comparison through mobile devices.

“The document covers what we see as areas with major growth potential in the retail sector,” explains Phil Gripton, MD of LBi and bigmouthmedia. “We believe that these new trends will provide savvy retailers with new avenues to expand their businesses, and we have the high calibre experts to help them unleash the opportunities that come their way.”

You can download the whitepaper here.