Customer expectations have soared when it comes to product availability.
Customers want what they want, when they want it, where they want it and at the price they want to pay. And if you don't have it, you'd better get it to their house tomorrow, or they'll buy it from Amazon who will — with free shipping.
Omnichannel retailing has been steadily growing in size in the market, especially from the e-commerce segment. According to a Forrester study published by eMarketer.com, U.S. retail e-commerce sales are expected to reach $362bn by 2016 and are expected to continue double-digit growth rates. Global sales are expected to reach nearly $1tr dollars in 2013. By 2015, it is expected that the number of online shoppers will exceed 200 million in the U.S., representing greater than 90 percent of all internet users. Not only is the number of shoppers increasing, the amount spent by each shopper is also expected to increase from $1,207 in 2012 to $1,738 by 2016.
