There is no replacement for direct, personal interaction with customers in stores. The next best thing, however, is to be able to view a single, accurate picture of how the customer shops, what they buy, when and where. Many retailers already capture such details but struggle with delivering a consistent set of customer information across channels, merchandising and business operations, in order to provide a consistent and compelling shopping experience.

This need for shared information systems is driving retailers to adopt service-oriented architecture (SOA). SOA offers a flexible way to connect the many different silos of information throughout the retail organisation, providing users with a single view of customers and inventory.