Changes to retail bricks to match online clicks

Retailers are planning to close stores or alter existing store formats to bring the in-store experience in line with the self service customer experience shaped by the rise in online shopping.

According to a report from Visa Europe, more than a quarter of 300 retailers in France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the UK expect a drop in store numbers over the next seven years.

silicon.com Retail & Leisure

Get the latest retail and leisure news straight to your inbox. Sign up for the R&L newsletter today!

More than two thirds (70 per cent) expect to introduce new formats that may incorporate some form of self checking out and digital information services between 2012 and 2015. Almost half of the survey sample expects to be using loyalty card information to send customers targeted promotions by email or SMS within that time.

More than a third of retailers plan to introduce RFID tags in that timeframe to help them make better use of product inventory management and to offer customer promotions, while 22 per cent expect to introduce automated self-scanning technology.

According to Visa Europe, current sector attitudes to the changing face of retailing are very much driven by the adoption of internet shopping. Customers now expect a greater degree of self-service and access to detailed stock information wherever they shop as a result.

Visa Europe executive VP Dr Steve Perry said in a statement: "While changes may occur over a relatively short time period, the store of the future is likely to be shaped by a range of technologies in the digital era, but all will have a common goal - to create greater convenience for the customer and achieve strong differentiation for the retailer."