IT investments for growth seems to be where it's at for retailers. This sector is spending on storefront technologies instead of the back office. Point of sale devices play a big part in the storefront. Average IT operating expenses were estimated at 1.2 per cent of company sales, up 20 per cent from last year. Spending on Data Warehousing and the Web Many retail operations are developing data warehousing and electronic commerce applications to enhance their profitability.
Data warehouses mean that retailers can offer better product selection to customers.
Fifty per cent of retailers currently use a data warehouse, with another 41 per cent planning to in the near future. This technology has been in place for just over a year and is already proving very popular to the retail sector. Over the next two years, retailers plan to expand their data warehouses, focusing mainly on customer data, to better define, target and communicate with their customer base. About the author Linda Plater is a freelance writer in Toronto, Ontario. Click here to visit her Bio Page on CanadaOne.