Joe Skorupa, Editor-in-Chief, RIS News recently wrote a blog post entitled “Fearless Retail Predictions: Part 2.”  He interviewed a strong panel of industry analysts, technology vendors and one retailer to come up with a list of predictions for 2010.   The predictions were heavily slanted toward the use of mobile and social media technologies. 

However, when you juxtapose these predictions with a recent comment from the RIS/IHL Group Store 2010 Store Systems Study, something is not lining up. 

“In this year’s study, we also asked how retailers use technology to enhance the customer experience. Should technology be used front and center as part of the experience or behind the scenes? Nearly half of the respondents (48%) answered: “We use technology to enable speed and execution, but it is largely invisible to consumers other than speed through checkout.” In other words, the customer experience in the store is not tied to technology.”

I’m confused because I believe that the power of mobile and social media technologies lies in just that – enhancing the customer experience.  This survey is directed heavily at IT personnel (63% of respondents).    Perhaps retail IT executives don’t see mobile and social media technologies as enhancing the customer experience.  Perhaps they are just not involved with how these technologies are being leveraged. 

Based on my experience with retail executives, these tools are being investigated mainly by the marketing department led by ad agencies looking for ways to capitalize on the changing media landscape.    Agencies are proposing mobile applications, couponing services, location-based services, social media campaigns and other creative ways of tapping into the social and mobile scene; all without much IT involvement. 

CIO’s need to get their arms around these marketing efforts – not to control them, but to help the organization understand how to more fully leverage these technologies;  integrating mobile into multi-channel and loyalty efforts, integrating social media into business intelligence efforts.    If left to outside forces, opportunities to leverage these technologies to differentiate the customer experience may be diminished or lost.  When these tools are integrated into the retailers’ infrastructure, they will truly become technology which enables a differentiated customer experience.