t. Cost-of-living pressures continue to suppress spending. Supply chains remain unpredictable. And emerging technologies, from AI to automation, are pushing legacy operating models to a breaking point.  To stay relevant, retailers must do more than compete on price or convenience. Omnipresence, once an ideal, is now a commercial necessity. And nowhere is that more visible than on the shop floor. The connected consumer is here to stay Despite the demand for connected journeys, research shows many retailers are not living up to customer expectations in this area.  According to Publicis Sapient’s Retail Consumer Survey report, 76 per cent of consumers find discrepancies between online and in-store stock availability. A further 80 per cent say they struggle to find products in-store after researching them online. The implications of this disconnect are material, with 67 per cent of consumers using mobile devices in-store to verify stock, check prices or read reviews, and 63 per cent expecting AI-powered product recommendations. John Costello, managing partner of retail and consumer at Publicis Sapient Australia, and Phil Phelan, the firm’s chief strategy and innovation officer, told Inside Retail that retailers must begin by shaping programs that build trust. “There’s no silver bullet. There are many of these customer use cases and executed deliberately over time, making the benefits very obvious and beneficial to the customer will build comfort and familiarity to the value of data sharing. Personalised offers and seamless experiences must be matched with transparent communication about data use, giving customers confidence that their information is being used to genuinely enhance their experience,” they said. Hannah Vaseicek, co-founder of Francesca Jewellery, agrees that bridging the digital and physical gap is central to building trust. “The customer journey should feel seamless – regardless of the channel,” Vaseicek told Inside Retail.  “Our in-store and online experiences are deeply integrated, especially when it comes to customisation and personalisation, which are core to our brand. Our retail team is trained to bring our digital experience to life in-store, helping customers explore meaningful gifting options and customised pieces with the same tools and design capabilities,” she added.  Operational precision  Inventory visibility is fast becoming one of the key drivers of customer satisfaction. A missed product, unavailable size or mismatched stock listing can fracture trust particularly in Francesca’s category, jewellery, where purchases are often linked to special moments. “Real-time stock accuracy is critical to maintaining customer trust, especially in a business like ours where many purchases are for special occasions,” Vaseicek explained. “Our inventory system is complex, with often five sizes and three metal tones available for individual products, it is very important to ensure our inventory is maintained and accurate. Our retail and e-commerce platforms are integrated with a centralised inventory management system, which gives us real-time visibility into stock levels across every store and our dispatch warehouse…Our team can rely on accurate data,” she added.  Francesca boasts a strong communication loop between store teams and operation teams in the event of low stock or high-demand items.  The new role of physical retail While online growth continues, physical retail is far from obsolete. In fact, the role of stores is becoming more strategic, shifting from transactional to experiential.  Retailers are now leaning on physical space to deliver brand immersion, human interaction and storytelling in ways digital cannot replicate. “Physical retail is no longer just about transactions – it’s about connection and experience for us,” Vaseicek said. “In a post-pandemic world, consumers crave authenticity and human connection more than ever. “While digital remains essential, our physical locations give us the chance to elevate the brand experience with face-to-face service, tactile exploration and community connection,” she reinforced.  Five ways to future-proof retail The report by Publicis Sapient outlines five critical actions for retailers looking to stay competitive in 2025: Maximise physical retail investment: Reframe stores as experience centres. Make sustainability and supply chain a business imperative: Transparency and resilience will be key. Leverage AI and automation: From product discovery to back-end efficiencies. Master omnichannel excellence: Eliminate gaps in the customer journey. Redefine customer loyalty: Move beyond points to emotional engagement. Retailers like Francesca are already ahead of the curve, proving that a unified strategy, real-time infrastructure and purpose-led physical experiences are dually best practice and business-critical. Costello and Phelan both stress, “Solving these problems requires a commitment to foundational change: integrating AI-driven inventory management, upgrading in-store connectivity and designing systems that reflect how customers actually shop. Retailers can no longer afford to pursue digital and physical strategies in isolation. “Addressing these basic, yet critical, operational pain points is essential to creating the seamless experiences consumers now expect and will increasingly demand,” they concluded.