Retail news from industry magazine Consumer Group Technology cites omnichannel as the top predicted trend for retail in 2015, according to the most recent National Retail Federation BIG Show. The most recent exhibitions emphasized the value of merging brick and mortar processes with e-commerce for a new generation of shoppers.

Today's consumer lives in a multi-device world, with people using tablets, smartphones, desktop computers, and wearable technology simultaneously. The demands of connectivity require retailers to adopt omnichannel systems that can combine multiple channels into one seamless shopping experience.

This analysis of the current retail landscape means that a fully integrated business solution is essential for brands who want to stay ahead of the market curve. Connected Business is the first product of its kind that fully integrates multiple processes, from accounting to inventory, warehousing, and e-commerce.

Using a single software instead of multiple incompatible solutions frees up your time and resources, letting you focus more on creating the ultimate customer experience.

Other Rising Trends

Many of the emerging trends that are catching the eye of industry experts also touch on the greater importance of an omnichannel infrastructure. They include:

• Mobile Shopping - Mobile shopping has continued to gain market share as the recent holiday sales numbers have demonstrated, but industry experts expect 2015 to be the year of the smartphone consumer.

• Responsive Design and Flexible Typography – Shoppers with smartphones or tablets are even affecting the design aesthetic of retail, driving the rise of context-responsive design that adapts to multiple screen sizes. Companies are challenged to keep up with mobile-ready competitors, which is why it is important to adopt a powerful e-commerce engine that transforms from wide-screen to tablet-ready automatically.

• Personalization – TechRadar predicts "the rise of hyper-personalization" as customers show a greater affinity for brand interactions. Retailers who want to stand out in this arena needs a customer relationship management tool that allows you to keep track of specific customer preferences across multiple phases in the buyer's journey.

Technology and brand-savvy consumers demand a richer, more unified shopping experience in the new year. Retailers who use different management software for their processes run the risk of bogging down their system and compromising their overall performance.

Connected Business helps you put a premium on efficiency and speed by integrating all of your business processes into a powerful business solution that is easy to use and implement into your current infrastructure. Find out how Connected Business solves many of the challenges that companies face in the retail landscape of 2015.

Learn more about the value of the omnichannel approach today.