Australian retailers are investing in mobile technology to improve instore experiences for customers. According to recent research from VDC Research, commissioned by SOTI inc, 34% of retailers are investing in new technology to increase sales and productivity. However, many retailers are failing to realise the full benefits of their investments.

“Many retailers are deploying new technologies to help drive worker efficiencies and support sales teams,” said Michael Dyson, Managing Director, Australia and New Zealand, SOTI. “Retailers want their next-generation mobile devices to show customer’s videos, support promotions, browse the web, place online orders and more.”

“The use of mobile point-of-sale (mPOS) devices in-store allows store associates to provide customers with a better retail experience, which leads to increased sales. For instance, the adoption of mPOS helps sales by allowing shoppers to avoid long lines at the cash register, which often results in customers not completing a purchase,” added Dyson.

Retails stores have to work hard to compete with each other and with ecommerce. One way of doing this is to use digital and mobile technology to create a great in-store experience. Digital tags, AR try-before you buy applications, QR codes to provide more product information and a host of other innovations are being deployed and trialled.

However, the study found that for retailers adopting mobile technology, many are not leveraging solutions to their fullest potential. In fact, only 1 in 5 retailers claim to have complete visibility into their mobile devices (comprised of phones, tablets, POS systems, scanners and other rugged Internet-connected hardware), and application usage. Additionally, the research found that the primary cause of mobile solution failure was network connectivity issues (49.3%), and for 36.5% of respondents, security and access control were also factors.