| | 19 FEBRUARY - 2018The retail world is one that constantly changing along with the ebb and flow of customer demand. It is no secret that traditional retailers have been struggling to keep up with customer satisfaction now that they have the option to shop online and via mobile phones. In response to this, 2017 was the year of ultra-convenience, frictionless payments, and unified commerce. Themes such as mobile payments, data-driven risk management, and personalized customer experiences made headlines, and dominated key conversations within the retail industry. By Warren Hayashi, President, Adyen Asia-PacificAll of those topics will likely continue to be a mainstay in the retail industry. At the same time, as 2018 beckons, there are new trends that will continue to revolutionize the retail scene as we know it. As 2018 beckons, here are some top predictions to look out for: 1. Unifying the consumer shopping experienceIncreasingly, shoppers are looking for efficiency. Data has shown that millennials and Gen Z shoppers want overall customer experience that offers the best of both the online and brick-and-mortar worlds ­ without wasting time on either part of their customer journey. We found that 63 percent of shoppers would shop more often if they do things like return items in a store that they bought from online and 86 percent want to be able to exchange or return digitally purchased items. Customer experience is becoming the key brand differentiator, over price and product. Customers will look forward to a unified experience that blends what they love Warren Hayashi2018: THE YEAR OF SEAMLESS RETAIL CXO INSIGHTS
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