The key to retail today is customer understanding -where each customer stands on his or her personal shopping journey, whether in-store or out. Retailers must "know" each shopper as never before. And they must offer the kinds of contextual, personally relevant experiences that will optimize their merchandise mix, create faster inventory turns, and drive greater customer engagement.

Yet, as a recent Cisco study revealed, offline retailers -or retailers that combine on and offline capabilities -have their own unique advantages -if they step up to the opportunities of the Internet of Everything (IoE) economy. By blending the benefits of the physical store - such as the ability to touch, compare, and try on products - with the benefits of the virtual world, retailers can create a new value proposition that can't be matched by their online-only competitors. In the process, they not only drive their own industry's disruption but challenge for market leadership.

Learn more by reading Mala Anand's blog here.