Brick-and-mortar retailers competing directly with online sellers are at a disadvantage: Offline merchants must measure store traffic, shopper activity, and SKU and promotional performance, often lacking the breadth of digital tools in place for e-Commerce.

But the gap is closing with in-aisle behavior analysis tools such as Shopperception. Shopperception technology employs 3D sensors installed directly above store shelves. The sensors, visual heat maps and proprietary algorithms detect traffic, follow people within sensor reach, and analyze actions at the shelf. With this tool, retailers can discover how spaces are performing; adjust planogram strategies; and conduct A/B testing of brand placement and promotions.

Digital devices are making our lives easier by the day, almost to the point that we don’t even notice it anymore. Think about it: when you can’t remember your way around a city, GPS navigation is everywhere; when you want to take a note and learn more about an object, Amazon’s Price Check is available at the push of a button to do it for you. The list goes on and on.

The advancements are making retailers scramble to play catch up as consumer expectations grow. The question is quickly becoming how to plan and prioritize digital investments in this ever-changing and complex new world. By engaging all of the stakeholders — designers, managers, planners and leaders throughout the company — retailers are taking control of the experience as they tie the digital to the analog world. Eliciting an increased level of brand loyalty by constructing a seamless integration within a multi-channel environment isn’t our future; it’s our current reality.

Ease of site navigation is a key differentiator among retailers in the highly competitive e-Commerce space. Best-in-class eTailers are making the browsing and buying journey easier by perfecting keyword search, according a research report, titled: 12th Annual Merchant Survey Report, from the e-tailing group. The study indicated that 98% of retailers believe keyword search is a top priority, due to customer demand for efficiency in site navigation.

Caché, a nationwide specialty retailer of women’s clothing and accessories, has improved sales substantially since implementing the SLI Systems full-service Learning Search solution, which includes an auto complete tool. The retailer has seen an increase of 88% in conversion rates among site search users and a 42% lift in site search usage.

Fender, the U.S. electric guitar and bass manufacturer, has partnered with Knotice to better connect with consumers and launch more effective marketing campaigns.

The Knotice platform, “Universal Profile Management,” takes fragmented data from various sources such as site behavior, email activity, purchase history and unites them onto a single dataset. By converging these data points, retailers can view all of a consumer’s activity in a single profile, turning the data from these disparate sources into a tangible customer. This allows retailers to launch integrated marketing campaigns that combine analytics with activity.