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A report from RSR Research, co-sponsored by HP, has found that 70 percent of retailers are now using technology-enabled touch points with a view to growing their businesses.

The paper, completed this June, surveyed almost 100 retail executives from across the globe. Self-service kiosks were described as 'valuable' by 43 percent of respondents, whilst 70 percent said the same of cross-channel customer and inventory synchronisation technologies. Some 78 percent cited modern POS systems as a central part of the customer experience.

"Customers have raised the bar, and successful retailers realise that the traditional means of educating employees and interacting with customers is no longer enough," states Ray Carlin, vice-president, Retail Solutions Global Business Unit, HP. "We provide a flexible store platform to help retailers deliver multichannel selling opportunities and a more engaging shopping experience."

The study also found that 57 percent of respondents believed providing data to store-owned tablets, phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs) was of value, which represented an increase from 21 percent of research participants holding this view in 2010.