Retailers will be implementing a number of new technologies over the next few years to help shake up their retail strategies and drive sales, according to new research from Zebra Technologies.

The survey found that more than half of retailers rated out of stock items as being one of the largest sources of customer frustration in-store, with 65 per cent of respondents planning to offer ordering out-of-stock items and having them delivered to a customer’s home within the next year. A further six in 10 retailers said that they plan to offer customers a discount to come back to their store when the item is in stock.

In the next two to three years, 59 per cent of retailers want to implement smart mirrors in-store, while 63 per cent plan to provide smart carts – a shopping cart with built-in scanning and a display screen. More than 80 per cent of respondents will allow store associates to call, text or email customers to share information.

By 2021, three quarters of those surveyed said that they want to know what customers are searching for on their smartphones when they are in-store, allowing them to send personalised messages in real-time. Nine in 10 retailers plan on investing in mobile point of sale devices, while 58 per cent expect to introduce some form of robotics – rising from one in 10 today.

Mark Thomson, retail and hospitality director EMEA at Zebra, commented: “Every inch of the retail industry is changing, from the aisles of the warehouse to the shelves of the store, and retailers are driving this change in a race to better serve customers.

“This survey demonstrates that technology will change the face of retail in the next few years, eliminating the pain-points of a customers’ shopping experience, including reducing queues, better assistance from staff and decreasing out-of-stock items.”

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