March 1, 2006
Trends 2006: Retail IT

E X E C U T I V E S UMMA RY
The retail IT spending outlook is positive: Retailers have finally figured out how to compete with
Wal-Mart and are now organizing themselves to deliver differentiation. Many retailers have tackled
aging POS platforms, with most initiating a POS upgrade or replacement in 2004 and/or 2005. So
where will 2006 take us? Two places: Experience-based differentiation — whether an explicit strategy
or a reactive move to be more customer service-oriented — will drive technology activity beyond the
store; and service-oriented architecture will break down application boundaries, putting infrastructure
questions — and investments — back on the road map. Is the retail IT renaissance finally here? It might
be just around the corner — but only if sales stay up, IT finally learns how to talk to the business, and
the business finally learns that architecture investments pay off in the end.
TA B L E O F CO N T E N TS......

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Title: Trends 2006: Retail It
Approximate Word Count: 2517
Approximate Pages: 11 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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