‘Evolve-or-die’—is the ultimatum that is impacting retailers as emerging technology platforms have created new customer behaviors and competitors. With the proliferation of wearables and smart appliances, mobile devices, e-commerce and the marketing associated with the pure-play online shopping will become more intertwined to the future instant-gratification lifestyle. This imperiled model is completely changing the retail landscape for the better. Going forward, digital technologies hold great promise for improving the presentation of store merchandise, be it online or offline.

Apparel retailers, for instance, can incite customer excitement by using 3D scanning technologies to create virtual fitting rooms where the shopper can do virtual try-on of garments for a quick comparison to see what specific items might look like on them. This technology records a customer’s size preferences and contours, features questionnaires on style preference and clothes the customer already owns, and then creates a personalized profile that is accessible across all channels. Additionally, these innovations around expanding product offerings will include interactive shelves that can give shoppers access to helpful and valued product features.

However, business requirements and goals may vary from one retailer to another, and there is a need to select the best combination of technologies to drive business outcomes. In order to simplify and assist CIOs identify the right retail management solutions, Retail CIO Outlook presents “Top 10 Retail Management Solution Providers - 2017.”

A distinguished panel comprising of CEOs, CIOs, VCs, analysts, and the Retail CIO Outlook editorial board has selected the most promising Retail Management solution providers. In our selection process, we looked at the vendor’s capability to fulfill the need for cost-effective and flexible solutions that add value to the Retail Management landscape.