Futuristic retail store with customers interacting with products and digital interfaces, representing the omnichannel shopping experience.

Smart Retail: Is Your Store Ready for the Omnichannel Revolution?

Lena Voss in Tech & Innovation August 2025 • 4 min read.

"Unlocking the secrets to in-store tech and crafting a real-life, omnichannel experience for today's connected shoppers."

The retail world is buzzing about "smart retailing." Consultants and researchers alike tout it as the magic bullet for creating an omnichannel experience—one that seamlessly blends online and offline shopping, benefiting both customers and retailers. But is this true? Does simply adding technology to your store automatically create a better, more connected experience?

This article dives deep into the concept of in-store smart retailing, questioning whether the type of technology used actually promotes different forms of omnichannel engagement. Can retailers truly control their customers' omnichannel journey by strategically influencing the in-store environment? Drawing from 107 research papers spanning marketing, innovation, and information systems, we'll uncover the four distinct forms of omnichannel experiences and guide you on how to ace in-store engagement.

We'll explore how retailers can avoid the trap of exerting too much control, which ironically reduces the omnichannel experience to a mere single-channel interaction—either a glorified store or a website experience. Let’s get started!

The Four Forms of Omnichannel Experience

Futuristic retail store with customers interacting with products and digital interfaces, representing the omnichannel shopping experience.

Imagine interactive showcases at Starbucks, facial recognition displays at Bricomarché, digital walls at Timberland, or virtual fitting rooms at Topshop. These are all examples of in-store technologies aimed at creating a more engaging and connected shopping experience. The ultimate goal is to reinvent retail and meet the expectations of today's 21st-century customers.

According to Roy et al. (2017), smart retailing is "an interactive and connected retail system which supports the seamless management of different customer touchpoints to personalize the customer experience [...] and optimize performance over these touch-points." But how does this translate into real, tangible experiences for shoppers?

Here's a breakdown of the four distinct forms of omnichannel experiences, and some steps to take to make the most of them:

Customer-Triggered, Marketing-Integrated: Customers use their own devices (smartphones) to connect with the retailer’s website, competitor sites, or social networks while in the store.
Customer-Triggered, Tech-Integrated: Customers use retailer-provided mobile apps to locate products, promotions, or access store-specific information.
Retailer-Controlled, Tech-Integrated: Retailers implement tablets or terminals in-store, controlling the information delivered and the customer's migration between channels.
Retailer-Controlled, Marketing-Integrated: Retailers attempt to create a seamless, fully-controlled brand experience, often resulting in the store becoming a showroom for the website.

When retailers try to exert too much control over the various forms of omnichannel experience, some of them cease to be truly omnichannel and are reduced to little more than a single-channel (store or website) experience.

Is Smart Retail Right for Your Store?

Ultimately, the success of smart retailing lies in understanding the customer’s desire for freedom, and integrating technology in a way that enhances, rather than restricts, their shopping journey. Creating a truly omnichannel experience means empowering customers, providing value, and adapting to their needs, not just controlling the message. By focusing on these key areas, retailers can unlock the true potential of smart retailing and thrive in the ever-evolving retail landscape.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.1177/2051570718808132, Alternate LINK

Title: What Kind Of In-Store Smart Retailing For An Omnichannel Real-Life Experience?

Subject: Marketing

Journal: Recherche et Applications en Marketing (English Edition)

Publisher: SAGE Publications

Authors: Christophe Bèzes

Published: 2018-11-22

Everything You Need To Know

What is 'smart retailing,' and what are its primary goals in creating an omnichannel experience?

Smart retailing, as defined by Roy et al. (2017), is an interactive and connected retail system designed to seamlessly manage various customer touchpoints. This aims to personalize the customer experience and optimize performance across all channels. The goal is to create a unified shopping experience that caters to the modern, connected consumer. However, the success hinges on understanding customer's desire for freedom and integrating technology in a way that enhances rather than restricts their shopping journey.

What are the four distinct forms of omnichannel experiences?

The four forms of omnichannel experiences are: 1. **Customer-Triggered, Marketing-Integrated:** Where customers use their own devices to interact with the retailer's website or social networks. 2. **Customer-Triggered, Tech-Integrated:** Where customers utilize retailer-provided mobile apps for accessing store-specific information. 3. **Retailer-Controlled, Tech-Integrated:** Where retailers implement in-store tablets or terminals to control the information flow. 4. **Retailer-Controlled, Marketing-Integrated:** Where retailers aim for a fully-controlled brand experience, often turning the store into a showroom for the website. When retailers try to exert too much control, some of them cease to be truly omnichannel.

What happens when retailers try to exert too much control over an omnichannel experience?

When retailers attempt to exert excessive control over the various forms of omnichannel experience, the interactions may lose their omnichannel nature and become single-channel experiences. For example, a 'Retailer-Controlled, Marketing-Integrated' approach might turn the physical store into merely a showroom for the online website, diminishing the value of in-store presence. Instead of a seamless blend, the customer is essentially funneled towards a single channel, thereby undermining the potential benefits of an integrated omnichannel strategy.

How can retailers prevent over-control in their omnichannel strategies to ensure a truly customer-centric experience?

Retailers can avoid exerting too much control by understanding the customer’s desire for freedom and integrating technology to enhance, rather than restrict, the shopping journey. Empowering customers, providing added value, and adapting to their needs are critical. Retailers should focus on creating a supportive environment where technology enhances the customer experience rather than dictating it. A balanced approach ensures that the omnichannel strategy truly serves the customer and avoids the pitfalls of a controlled, single-channel interaction.

Can you provide some real-world examples of in-store technologies that enhance the omnichannel shopping experience?

Examples of in-store technologies creating engaging shopping experiences include interactive showcases like those at Starbucks, facial recognition displays such as those at Bricomarché, digital walls as seen at Timberland, and virtual fitting rooms similar to those at Topshop. These technologies aim to enhance the retail experience and meet the expectations of today's 21st-century customers by blending online and offline shopping seamlessly.