For arguably anyone in retail, the conversation of “delivering the ultimate customer experience” is as prolific as discussions about inventory management, supply chain operations and P&L statements. It’s top of mind as retailers look to capitalize on industry white space, remain competitive in overly saturated markets and see retention soar.

In fact, Gartner contends that this year, more than 50% of organizations will implement significant business model changes in their efforts to improve customer experience. This includes investing in the right technologies, bringing uniform consistency across retail channels and activating self-service tools. But amidst all the talk about the customer experience has to be a conversation about big data — specifically the fact that retailers need to rely on analytics as their No. 1 driver in bolstering the customer experience.

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