The modern shopper expects a streamlined retail experience across online platforms and in physical stores. This expectation has given rise to an increased need for retailers to embrace technologies that support this omnichannel approach, delivering what customers want, when and how they want it.
Online platforms in particular have emerged as an opportunity to meet customer demands and have regularly been positioned as the future of retail. However, accessible and convenient deliveries, returns and parcel collections, coupled with positive in-store experiences, are critical to support this future.
The need to embrace technologies and systems that improve omnichannel retail experiences is particularly clear following research conducted for SOTI’s industry report, “Retail Tech Assessment: Opportunities for Enhanced Consumer Experiences”. The report revealed that speed and personalisation are significant areas of concern for shoppers, with 85% of shoppers saying the speed of online delivery times is important to them in deciding where and how to shop. The report also reveals that 52% of UK consumers prefer stores with tailored, tech-driven shopping experiences.
By meeting these expectations and ensuring customers are satisfied, brands can build long-lasting relationships with shoppers that inspire loyalty and drive sales. However, to do this, brands must prioritise building systems into their day-to-day operations, embedding these as part of the operational DNA of their work, regardless of the platform for shoppers.
The In-Store Experience
One key piece to the omnichannel puzzle in retail is the systems and technologies used in store that improve efficiencies in employee activities behind the scenes in the stockroom and helps shoppers to find what they need, when they need it. This can include mobile computers, tablets, industrial printers and rugged devices.
To help support the integration of these technologies across the shop floor and behind the scenes, leading Enterprise Mobility Management solutions provider SOTI partners with systems integrator Renovotec to enable retailers to visualise and control the performance of devices deployed by hardware providers Datalogic. This 3-way ecosystem ensures that high street chains and major supermarkets can access the insights they need.
Through SOTI’s suite of solutions (including SOTI MobiControl, SOTI XSight, SOTI Snap, and printer management via SOTI Connect), Renovotec can support any device, any form factor, and any operating system by providing an overview of a device’s location and operational status. This means that, across the full lifecycle of a retailer’s device estate, they can foresee and prevent disruptions.
SOTI MobiControl, for example, provides centralised management and security, while XSight gives diagnostic intelligence and real-time device health data (battery health, status, performance) so a retailer can proactively identify failing hardware, push updates, or retire devices before they impact operations. This results in reduced downtime and improved reliability through faster troubleshooting, meaning that shoppers can also access technologies like handheld scanners and kiosks in-store, without disruptions to their buying journey.
From the Screen to Your Door
When shoppers buy an item online, we know that they have high expectations for both delivery and returns. SOTI’s research shows that 80% of UK customers want multiple options for returning unwanted items and 80% want multiple delivery options. Additionally, 84% of shoppers also say that the ability to track what stage their parcel is in, throughout the delivery process, could sway them towards a specific seller.
Like with stock management concerns for high street stores, these expectations mean that technologies that support the transport and logistics for direct delivery and returns in retail are critical. Investment in these technologies helps to bridge the gap between different retail channels, something all the more important with shoppers also reportedly using images of items they have seen in-store to check availability online, blurring the lines even further between in store and online shopping.
To ensure retail customers can navigate omnichannel requirements, system integrators deploy the SOTI Snap system to help them and their logistics providers to rapidly build mobile apps for tasks like stock-taking, scanning, inventory, returns and checkouts. SOTI’s recent study also reveals that 84% of consumers are concerned about at least one data privacy or security issue when shopping online or in-store and 85% think twice before shopping with a retailer that has suffered a cyberattack, likely stemming from the fact that 2 in 5 consumers have been victims of retail-related fraud. This partnership ensures consistent security through device tracking (including location tracking in large store or warehouse networks), remote lock and wipe functions, and centralised control of applications and data.
Many retailers still struggle to integrate systems across back-office, warehouse, store and online channels in a way that provides a seamless customer experience (e.g. buying online and returning in store). This requires not just device management, but process design, real-time data flows, and coordination across systems to ensure they gain and maintain an edge over competitors as this technology evolves.
The future of retail
The adoption of AI into retail presents a significant opportunity for retail, particularly for the growth of omnichannel, as retailers compete to hold customer attention and convert online and in-store browsing into sales. This, coupled with the advanced diagnostic intelligence and real-time analytics that systems, like SOTI XSight, offer, will be integral for delivering insights to customers.
Real time diagnostic capabilities mean that retailers avoid a “rip and replace” culture. Instead of replacing devices prematurely or on fixed schedules, decisions can be based on hard data, for example, battery health, failure rate and usage intensity. This results in cost savings, less waste, and more efficient CAPEX planning.
Consumer insights can also be a lynchpin for success. Harnessing data from online interactions enables retailers to personalise recommendations to customers for in-store purchases, build targeted promotions and inform stock availability, activities which AI could help to streamline. SOTI’s research also revealed that shoppers think the same way, with 55% of those surveyed also believing that AI should be used to improve recommendations and drive a tailored commercial experience.
As retailers push to blur the lines between in-store, online, and warehouse operations, managing all the devices supporting each channel from a unified platform will become even more critical. Gathering and exploiting data is the next step, something that the expert teams at SOTI, Renovotec and Datalogic will continue to prioritise, helping retailers to deliver exceptional service to customers no matter the platform.
Securing The Future of Retail
To find out more about SOTI and Renovotec, book an appointment with one of their experts and secure your invitation to the upcoming SOTI Experience Day on 7th May 2026, here.
SOTI Experience Day will bring together professionals who design, deploy and support enterprise mobility solutions, to discuss practical insights and deliver live demos and networking opportunities across multiple sectors.
