IDC PeerScape: Practices for Unified, Omni-Channel, and Personalized Experiences in Retail

PUBLISHED: June 3, 2026

PAGES: 12 Pages

DELIVERY TIME: 1-2 business days

Description

This IDC PeerScape examines five practices that retailers can deploy today to close the online-offline experience gap, maximize the value of physical stores, and build a truly unified omni-channel customer experience powered by agentic AI."Retailers are not a legacy channel; they are becoming the most sophisticated touchpoint in the omni-channel shopping experience ecosystem. The retailers winning today are those investing in technologies that make every associate smarter, every square meter more productive, and every visit more personal than the last," said Ornella Urso, research director, IDC Retail Insights.

Product Code: US52812125

IDC PeerScape figure

Executive summary

Peer insights

Practice 1: Deploy frictionless mobile POS and unified payment experiences in-store
- Challenge
- Example
  - Nike (Global)
  - URBN: Urban Outfitters, and Anthropologie (United States)
- Guidance
Practice 2: Deploy agentic AI-powered associate and clienteling tools for personalized in-store engagement
- Challenge
- Example
  - Walmart (United States)
  - Sephora (United States, Global)
- Guidance
Practice 3: Drive customer retention through omni-channel loyalty and digital in-store experiences
- Challenge
- Example
  - Foot Locker (United States, Global)
  - Walmart (United States)
- Guidance
Practice 4: Reimagine the store space as an experience and fulfillment hub to future-proof physical retail
- Challenge
- Example
  - SHEIN (France)
  - Walmart (United States)
- Guidance
Practice 5: Optimize inventory planning with agentic AI to ensure the right product is in the right place at the right time
- Challenge
- Example
  - ZARA/Inditex (Global)
  - H&M Group (Global)
- Guidance