Customers want retailers to provide a personalized experience and a shared cart across all channels.

Customers want access to a single cart to shop across channels and be able to reach their cart via phone, computer — and in-store. They want to be able to “start anywhere and finish anywhere.”

In a consumer study, BRP, a retail management consulting firm, found that 56% of consumer said they’re likely to choose a retailer who can offer a shared cart across channels. Only 7% of retailers have this function.

BRP also found that 87% of customers want a personalized and consistent experience across all shopping channels. But only 53% of retailers indicate that personalization of the customer experience is a top priority.

“The importance of real-time visibility and access to product and customer information across channels has grown significantly over the past few years as consumers’ expectations continue to rise,” said BPD.

“Real-time retail” means the ability to deliver a seamless and personalized experience to the customer in whatever way they shop.

Real-time retail allows retailers to identify the customer and gather, analyze and disseminate customer, product, pricing and inventory data across all channels instantly.

“Consumers expect a seamless experience in the store, on the Web and via their mobile device – which makes ‘real-time retail’ the new industry imperative,” said BRP Principal Ken Morris. “In our experience, many retailers can check inventory in real-time, but the data they are accessing is actually from yesterday, as the data is not really updated in real-time – it is faux real-time retail based on the store and forward architecture of legacy POS and e-commerce systems. As retailers move to unified commerce, full access to enterprise-wide data in real-time will become more common as it is a necessity to survive.”