Look anywhere these days, and chances are someone has a smartphone or tablet in their hand. These mobile devices are changing the way that people perform daily tasks, and the trend is now carrying over into the retail industry. For this reason, now is the time for retailers to adopt technology solutions that accommodate mobile consumers, or else risk losing them to competitors.

The growing importance of mobile devices within retail operations was one of the most discussed topics at this year's Mobile World Congress, which took place last month in Barcelona, Spain. A survey by SAP conducted at the event revealed that more than half of industry professionals (53 percent) stated they believe the key to improving device-carrying consumers' experiences is through mobile service, such as POS, product comparison, coupons and discounts as well as other factors..

"We are seeing a maturing of the mobile payments market, as we move from a service that is driven by person-to-person payments to one that must tackle the challenges of the retail environment," said Diarmuid Mallon, lead of Global Mobile Marketing Programs at SAP. "It is clear from our survey that in addition to improving the payment experience, mobile wallet apps need to support a multitude of services such as loyalty and couponing."

Retail management software solutions help provide more streamlined mobile POS processes for merchants and customers.

Engaging with customers is one of the main aspects of running retail operations, both in stores and online. Whether it is helping shoppers at brick-and-mortar locations or assisting web consumers with their purchases online, merchants know how important exceptional service and experiences are. Failing to engage customers and find solution to their issues may mean declines in retention and loyalty. Fortunately, there are many strategies that businesses can follow to ensure satisfactory interactions with and experiences for their shoppers. Merchants can even use technology systems such as retail POS to enhance consumers' time in stores and on websites.

Patrons want personalized retail experiences
According to a recent study by MyBuys, shoppers are constantly looking to do business with brands that focus on customers and tailor experiences based on individuals' needs. The research revealed that elements such as emails and personalized online advertisements significantly help to boost retention and loyalty. Fifty-seven percent of consumers stated emails that contain content that is relevant to their needs entices them to browse for and purchase items from the retailers that sent the messages. Additionally, 35 percent of respondents said web advertisements tailored to what they are looking for will prompt them to buy from brands.

Merchants can also use information such as shoppers' past purchases to develop messages, both at brick-and-mortar locations and on websites, that help individuals find similar merchandise. The survey found that nearly 60 percent of consumers prefer to have personalized product recommendations from retailers. Companies can use data to offer coupons and discounts on related items when shoppers are in stores as well as on ecommerce sites. Technology solutions such as retail management software can store all of this information and allow brands to organize it effectively in order to develop targeted messages.

Other ways to boost customer experiences
While personalization is one of the main keys to offering exceptional customer experiences, there are other strategies that retailers can follow as well to ensure the best possible interactions. Retail Info Systems News writes that companies should focus on providing excellent multichannel operations by creating consistent elements through their stores, websites and other communication forms. Also, the source notes that to build increased loyalty, businesses should analyze their customers' needs and then work to provide the products and service to fit those desires for ultimate satisfaction.

The beginning of the year brought changes for both American consumers and retailers, as payroll tax increases resulted in less spending among shoppers and different pricing strategies among merchants. However, recent research has revealed that some shoppers are still splurging on "little luxuries" despite the decrease in take-home pay.

A study by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and BIGinsight.com revealed there are several products that consumers consider "expendable," but are still being bought even though spending levels are changing. These items include high-end jewelry, memberships for social clubs, designer handbags and cleaning services.

"Traditional discretionary expenditures in recent years have fallen victim to tighter family budgets," said BIGinsight consumer insights director Pam Goodfellow. "While we expect consumers to remain cautious with their spending, it appears that shoppers are also allowing some of those 'little luxuries' to creep back into their budgets."

On the other hand, separate NRF research found that 24.5 percent of shoppers surveyed stated they would be cutting back on luxuries in response to the payroll tax hikes. Other areas seeing less spending include clothing, entertainment and travel.

American consumers are steadily regaining their confidence in the nation's economy following the recession, as people are venturing to retail stores and websites to buy merchandise. These increasing levels are helping to boost merchants' monthly sales, and the trend is expected to continue throughout the year.

A report from the National Retail Federation (NRF) found that during January, retail sales jumped 0.3 percent from the previous month, and they grew by 5.4 percent year-over-year. Many economists had predicted that consumers would curb their spending throughout the beginning of the year, as payroll tax changes implemented as a result of the fiscal cliff deal took extra wages out of workers' paychecks. However, it seems as though consumers learned to adjust their spending levels and gave retailers a positive first month of 2013.

Analysts forecast that retail sales over the coming months will continue to climb, especially as it was revealed that consumer confidence increased during February. RTT News reports that research from Thomson Reuters and the University of Michigan found that the consumer sentiment index rose to 76.3 from January's figure of 73.8. This index was above the expected reading of 75 for February.

Social media has been a resource for users to keep in touch with friends and family, but now, a new trend is emerging. Consumers are taking to the sites to praise their favorite brands and retailers, meaning that these social platforms are effective tools for businesses to connect with valuable shoppers and boost loyalty.

A study by Scarborough Research found that 13 percent of consumers use social media sites to showcase their support for their favorite brands. Of that amount, 80 percent stay with a preferred retailer when they find one, the research discovered. The networks that are most popular among shoppers who use sites for brand love include Twitter, LivingSocial and Facebook. Retailers can take to these platforms to connect with customers and offer deals and discounts that appeal to their tastes, further boosting loyalty.

Social media seems to be significantly popular for retailers, as Business News Daily reports that users seem to favor following their preferred brands on the sites more than they do their favorite celebrities. Sixty-one percent of people keep up with retailers on the platforms, compared to just over half of individuals who follow famous figures.

Businesses spend large amounts of time and money on marketing to potential customers and promoting their products. Most of these efforts are successful, as they get shoppers in the stores or on websites. However, once retailers have acquired consumers, these strategies should not be discarded and attention should be put on making these patrons loyal.

Brands should focus increasingly on loyalty initiatives, as a recent study by Synqera revealed that maintaining relationships with repeat customers is what drives retail growth. There are a variety of ways that businesses can foster loyalty, including offering discounts and deals based on past purchases, sending out marketing materials to valuable patrons and rewarding shoppers for buying additional merchandise. Synqera states that technology can also boost loyalty, especially in the form of more efficient point-of-sale terminals, such as mobile payments. Using these solutions gives customers more convenience and faster transactions, further increasing loyalty.

Troy Media highlights some other methods that can help with turning new shoppers into repeat buyers. One approach is for retailers to empower their employees and turn them into brand ambassadors. If workers are excited about their companies, customers will be too. In addition, businesses can gather feedback from consumers to pinpoint areas for improvement.

It comes as no surprise that younger generations are more adept at using technology for a variety of tasks, while their older counterparts rely on more traditional methods to get things done. These behaviors even carry over into retail, although Baby Boomers are increasingly going online to shop for merchandise.

According to a study by The Integer Group, consumers between 50 and 64 years old are taking to the internet more to purchase products, as there was a 4.5 percent increase the number of Baby Boomers participating in ecommerce since 2011. On the other hand, Millennials – individuals between 18 and 24 years old – have decreased their online shopping, as seen in a 7 percent drop from 2011. Analysts say this is mostly due to the slow economy and the younger generation’s decision to save more money, the report states.

While ecommerce is becoming more prevalent among Baby Boomers, The Guardian notes that they still largely prefer to visit retail brick-and-mortar locations to shop for items. The news source suggests that to accommodate this generation, merchants will need to implement aspects that these consumers are looking for. This can be accomplished by conducting market research to determine which products are most in demand and then stocking shelves with those goods.

When operating brick-and-mortar locations and ecommerce websites, retailers know that providing shoppers with only the products they are looking for is not enough to sustain valuable relationships with consumers and keep them coming back. Merchants must also offer excellent experiences in their stores and on their sites or risk losing out on opportunities to build loyalty among patrons. Fortunately, there are many strategies that businesses can use to ensure customers are having satisfactory interactions and are able to find the items they want quickly and efficiently. But companies need to focus on implementing these methods and work diligently to improve upon their practices to consistently meet consumers’ expectations and fit their needs.

Consequences of poor retail customer experiences
Recent research has revealed that while companies know the importance of offering great customer experiences and how it can benefit their operations, a significant number fail to incorporate strategies that can ensure positive and satisfactory interactions. According to the “Global Insights on Succeeding in the Customer Experience Era” by Oracle, 97 percent of businesses surveyed stated they believe that providing excellent experiences is vital to their success. Respondents estimate that companies can lose up to 20 percent of their annual revenue by not meeting shoppers’ needs when they are in stores and on websites.

The majority of retailers (93 percent) said they will be working on improving their customer experience strategies in the coming months, but a significant number (37 percent) are just beginning to develop experience methods to fit their patrons’ expectations. In addition, only 20 percent of respondents believe their experience strategies are advanced.

“This report demonstrates that organizations around the globe and across many industries are beginning to understand the real business impact of not offering great customer experiences, but are facing execution challenges,” stated Oracle group vice president David Vap. “We recommend that organizations map their customers’ journeys to identify specific improvement areas that will help them cross the execution chasm.”

Successful experience initiatives
To begin offering exceptional shopping experiences or improve upon existing methods, Inside Retailing recommends that merchants learn as much as they can about their customers, which can be accomplished through gathering data from individuals in stores and online through surveys and other forms of feedback.

In addition, the source suggests using information to make experiences more personalized will help shoppers feel valued and appreciated by brands, further increasing the chances they will keep coming back for future business.

Consumer confidence plays a large role in any nation’s economy, and analysts in the United Kingdom are hoping that the increasing confidence levels of its citizens will be enough to drive up retail sales, which have recently become stagnant.

According to research from the CBI, during the first two weeks of January, there was a 17 percent jump in sales among U.K. retailers from the same time a year ago, which beat economists’ expectations of a 10 percent rise. However, the source notes that the growth was not near the levels seen in the last months of 2012. For October, sales increased by 30 percent from the previous year, while November experienced a 33 percent boost. December came in a year-over-year jump of 19 percent.

On the other hand, analysts forecast that improving levels of consumer confidence throughout the U.K. will give retailers the sales growth they are looking for. Retail Week reports that people are becoming more confident not only in their personal finances but the nation’s economic conditions as well. This could soon be seen in sales totals in the coming months, the source writes.

Almost every merchant has seen customers come into their stores and visit their websites to partake in some retail therapy, hoping to stock up on products that will lift their spirits. Many businesses may want to focus on trying to attract some of these shoppers, who are forecasted to flood stores in the coming weeks.

According to a study by CouponCabin.com, 36 percent of consumers said they are more likely to shop during the winter months following the holiday season, as browsing for and purchasing retail products can be an instant mood booster. The research also revealed that more than one-quarter of shoppers (26 percent) stated that bad or cloudy weather has encouraged them to visit retail stores.

“Now that the holidays are over, gray skies have taken over and warmer days are months away, some consumers find shopping takes the edge off a dull mood,” said Jackie Warrick, senior savings adviser at CouponCabin.com.

So how can retailers draw in these customers into their stores? The Sun Sentinel writes that several businesses in southern Florida are offering giveaways and free items to attract consumers. Some of these discounts and specials usually require a certain purchase amount of other products, but some businesses are handing out merchandise in the hopes of boosting customer retention and loyalty.