U.S. Retailers Meet Online Demand With Unified Experiences

Companies are transforming their digital capabilities to meet changing customer expectations, ISG Provider Lens™ report says

Retailers in the U.S. are responding to a massive shift toward online shopping by integrating different sales and marketing systems for a seamless customer experience, according to a new research report published today by Information Services Group (ISG) (Nasdaq: III), a leading global technology research and advisory firm.

The 2022 ISG Provider Lens™ Retail Services report for the U.S. finds when the COVID-19 pandemic forced many consumers out of physical stores, new sales channels became essential to retail profit and growth. In addition to e-commerce, shoppers are embracing social commerce, voice commerce and new delivery and in-store pickup methods.

While making larger investments in websites, mobile apps and contact centers, companies are also engaging in broader digital transformations, often with service providers as partners. U.S. retailers are making these changes more quickly than those in other markets, including Europe, ISG says.

“The strengths retailers have built up in stores, like ambience and in-person service, do not differentiate them online,” said Sunder Pillai, director, retail and CPG industry leader at ISG. “The best competitors are setting themselves apart by making it easy for customers to stay with them as they move from one sales channel to another.”

Both online and offline, consumers are seeking quicker product discovery, faster checkout and delivery, better loyalty programs and more digital payment options, including buy-now-pay-later. Companies need to combine these features in unique ways to offer a distinctive, seamless experience, ISG says

To meet the growing demand for omnichannel experiences, retailers are integrating siloed sales and marketing platforms and consolidating customer data. Also, moving to the cloud is essential for making rapid changes as new technologies emerge and consumer behavior evolves.

“Retailing is changing faster than ever, so companies need to be more agile,” said Jan Erik Aase, partner and global leader, ISG Provider Lens Research. “Some cloud-native retailers can now roll out new features for customers in days instead of months.”

The report also covers several other trends in the U.S. retail services market, including the expanding scope of managed services, consolidation of enterprises’ managed services contracts and growing investment in intelligent supply chains.

The 2022 ISG Provider Lens™ Retail Services report for the U.S. evaluates the capabilities of 24 providers across three quadrants: CX Transformation Services, Platform Migration Services and Managed Services.

The report names Accenture, Capgemini, Cognizant, HCL, Infosys, TCS and Wipro as Leaders in all three quadrants.

In addition, Mindtree is named as a Rising Star — a company with a “promising portfolio” and “high future potential” by ISG’s definition — in one quadrant.

The 2022 ISG Provider Lens™ Retail Services report for the U.S. is available to subscribers or for one-time purchase on this webpage.

About ISG Provider Lens™ Research

The ISG Provider Lens™ Quadrant research series is the only service provider evaluation of its kind to combine empirical, data-driven research and market analysis with the real-world experience and observations of ISG's global advisory team. Enterprises will find a wealth of detailed data and market analysis to help guide their selection of appropriate sourcing partners, while ISG advisors use the reports to validate their own market knowledge and make recommendations to ISG's enterprise clients. The research currently covers providers offering their services globally, across Europe, as well as in the U.S., Canada, Brazil, the U.K., France, Benelux, Germany, Switzerland, the Nordics, Australia and Singapore/Malaysia, with additional markets to be added in the future. For more information about ISG Provider Lens research, please visit this webpage.

A companion research series, the ISG Provider Lens Archetype reports, offer a first-of-its-kind evaluation of providers from the perspective of specific buyer types.

About ISG

ISG (Information Services Group) (Nasdaq: III) is a leading global technology research and advisory firm. A trusted business partner to more than 800 clients, including more than 75 of the world’s top 100 enterprises, ISG is committed to helping corporations, public sector organizations, and service and technology providers achieve operational excellence and faster growth. The firm specializes in digital transformation services, including automation, cloud and data analytics; sourcing advisory; managed governance and risk services; network carrier services; strategy and operations design; change management; market intelligence and technology research and analysis. Founded in 2006, and based in Stamford, Conn., ISG employs more than 1,300 digital-ready professionals operating in more than 20 countries—a global team known for its innovative thinking, market influence, deep industry and technology expertise, and world-class research and analytical capabilities based on the industry’s most comprehensive marketplace data. For more information, visit www.isg-one.com.

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