ISG Launches Two Studies on Retail Technology Industry

Rhea-AI Summary

ISG Provider Lens™ has initiated research studies on vendors that provide software and services for the retail industry, set for release in March. The studies will include two reports: “Retail Software and Services” and “Retail – Digital Innovators”. The focus will be on various technological solutions ranging from ERP to managed services. These reports aim to aid enterprise buyers in evaluating vendor relationships as retail adapts to increased demand for online shopping during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Positive

• Launch of two comprehensive ISG Provider Lens reports focused on retail software and services.
• Reports set to help enterprise buyers assess vendor relationships amid growing online shopping demand.
• Focus on innovative vendors enhances market intelligence for retail technology solutions.

Negative

• None.

ISG Provider Lens™ reports will focus on retail software, services and retail digital innovators

STAMFORD, Conn., Dec. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Information Services Group (ISG) (Nasdaq: III), a leading global technology research and advisory firm, has launched two research studies examining vendors offering software and services for the retail industry.

The study results will be published in two comprehensive ISG Provider Lens™ reports, called “Retail Software and Services” and “Retail – Digital Innovators” scheduled to be released in March.

The software and services report will cover software related to supply chain management, warehouse management, merchandise planning and management, digital commerce, ERP, CRM, and order management and fulfillment. It will also cover services related to DevOps integration, transformation services, platform migration, and managed IT services.

The digital innovators report, meanwhile, will highlight niche and innovative technology vendors serving the retail industry.

Enterprise buyers will be able to use information from the reports to evaluate their current vendor relationships, potential new engagements and available offerings, while ISG advisors use the information to recommend providers to the firm’s buy-side clients.

The new reports address the ever-growing retail technology and services market as consumers are embracing online buying options as never before during the COVID-19 pandemic, said Jan Erik Aase, director and global leader, ISG Provider Lens Research. “In the coronavirus epoch, omnichannel transactions are increasingly becoming the norm. More than two-thirds of customers are resorting to omnichannel buying, such as buying online and picking up in-store, and online orders are sky-rocketing,” he said. “Unlocking the potential of physical stores that are integrated with ecommerce platforms is the biggest digital transformation opportunity for every retailer.”

For the software and services report, ISG has distributed surveys to more than 70 technology and service providers. Working in collaboration with ISG’s global advisors, the research team will produce five quadrants representing the services and products the typical enterprise client is buying in the retail space, based on ISG’s experience working with its clients. The five quadrants that will be covered are:

• Ecommerce platforms, covering providers that offer a range of services related to such websites, which are continuously evolving to add more functionality, offer more flexible pricing models, become more scalable and provide a high degree of personalization and customer support. Product search and selection have become more user-friendly through visual search, digital stylists and chatbot recommendations.

• Merchandise Planning and Management Software, in which vendors are enhancing their offerings by adding automation and AI capabilities, giving retailers the ability to better estimate demand, optimize their in-store and digital inventories and create better pricing strategies.

• Retail Transformation Services, covering innovations that intertwine ecommerce with new physical store strategies. A significant number of downtown standalone stores are morphing into high-tech experience centers, and there are expected to be more pop-ups and small-format shops opened near residential areas that will also double as micro-fulfillment centers. IT transformation activities will revolve around omnichannel integration, migration to the cloud, digitizing the supply chain, warehouse automation solutions and the emergence of sentient tools with data to support these shifts in the retail ecosystem.

• Platform Migration Services, covering the re-platforming services that will be needed to fulfill the ongoing business requirements of a unified platform and the adoption of new software ecosystems. The providers engaged in these services need to keep themselves updated regarding the latest and greatest versions of vendor platforms and develop capabilities around modern enterprise technology concepts such as cloud-native architectures, API economy and microservices.

• Managed Services, covering providers that undergird the retailer IT environment. They are primarily driven by innovation to find the right balance between becoming more efficient in operations and reducing costs, through fresh approaches such as AIOps.

The software and services report will cover the global retail technology market and examine products and services available in the U.S. and the U.K.

A list of identified providers and vendors and further details on each study are available in these digital brochures: “Retail Software and Services” and “Retail – Digital Innovators”. Retail software and service vendors that are not listed can contact ISG and ask to be included in the study. For the digital innovators report, companies wishing to be considered should email ISG by January 15.

Ashish Chaturvedi and Sidhanth Prasad will serve as authors of both reports, with advisory support from Mike Witty, an advisor in the ISG Retail practice.

About ISG Provider Lens™ Research

The ISG Provider Lens™ Quadrant research series is the only service provider evaluation of its kind to combine empirical, data-driven research and market analysis with the real-world experience and observations of ISG's global advisory team. Enterprises will find a wealth of detailed data and market analysis to help guide their selection of appropriate sourcing partners, while ISG advisors use the reports to validate their own market knowledge and make recommendations to ISG's enterprise clients. The research currently covers providers offering their services globally, across Europe and Latin America, as well as in the U.S., Germany, Switzerland, the U.K., France, the Nordics, Brazil and Australia/New Zealand, with additional markets to be added in the future. For more information about ISG Provider Lens research, please visit this webpage.

A companion research series, the ISG Provider Lens Archetype reports, offer a first-of-its-kind evaluation of providers from the perspective of specific buyer types.

Starting this year, each ISG Provider Lens™ study will include a Global Summary to help enterprise subscribers better understand provider capabilities across all geographic markets covered by that study. All ISG Provider Lens™ reports also will now include an Enterprise Context feature to help executives quickly identify key insights related to their roles and responsibilities.

About ISG

ISG (Information Services Group) (Nasdaq: III) is a leading global technology research and advisory firm. A trusted business partner to more than 700 clients, including more than 75 of the world’s top 100 enterprises, ISG is committed to helping corporations, public sector organizations, and service and technology providers achieve operational excellence and faster growth. The firm specializes in digital transformation services, including automation, cloud and data analytics; sourcing advisory; managed governance and risk services; network carrier services; strategy and operations design; change management; market intelligence and technology research and analysis. Founded in 2006, and based in Stamford, Conn., ISG employs more than 1,300 digital-ready professionals operating in more than 20 countries—a global team known for its innovative thinking, market influence, deep industry and technology expertise, and world-class research and analytical capabilities based on the industry’s most comprehensive marketplace data. For more information, visit www.isg-one.com.

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FAQ

What is the focus of the ISG Provider Lens research studies for III?

The studies focus on vendors providing software and services for the retail industry.

When will the ISG Provider Lens reports be released?

The reports are scheduled to be released in March.

What topics will the ISG reports cover?

They will cover software related to supply chain management, digital commerce, ERP, and more.

How will the ISG reports aid enterprise buyers?

The reports will help buyers evaluate vendor relationships and available offerings.

What market trends prompted the release of these reports?

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly increased consumer demand for online shopping.