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Commercial Solutions Retail Revolution Thrive in Disruption If you’re working in the retail industry, you probably need a moment to catch your breath. In the new omni-channel environment, retailers are facing demands for convenience, value, and connected solutionsall to create the ultimate consumer experience. The opportunity for game- changing success is stunning, but the benefits are matched by some daunting challenges. From cyber security to privacy, retail leaders must understand this revolution to reap its rewards while minimizing business threats. Opportunity & Risk in a Shifting Landscape While the retail evolution is constant, the industry revolution is in response to four key factors that impact business todayand tomorrow. Technological advances are in their infancy. GPS-enabled mobile devices, social media, and facial recognition technologies are driving integrated services and new sources of revenue. During the past year, retail mobile ad spending increased by more than 400 % . The use of social networks by the shopping millennialwith 57 % comparing prices and 24 % seeking opinionsopens the door for new, highly tailored customer interactions. Retailers who seize the opportunities of emerging technologies will stay out in front. Analytics are creating the ultimate consumer experience. Retailers are profiting from advances in data science, with an estimated 10 % increase in sales from implementing data analytics. The traditional boundaries between brick-and-mortar stores, e-commerce, and mobile platforms have crumbled, leading 70 % of retailers to adopt an omni- channel strategy that links in-store and digital experiences. With increased data capture, there will be more opportunities for analytics implementation and revenue generation. Cybersecurity demands attention from the C-suite. Retailers are in a tough spot, working to balance innovative opportunities with new and unknown threats. The retail industry is impacted by 24 % of all breaches, second only to financial services, with the average cost of a single incident doubling between 2013 and 2014 to $8.6 million per company. Cyber security is no longer only the purview of IT shops: It requires executive attention. Consumers expect privacy. Retailers are charged with the responsibility of protecting valuable consumer information. Most mega retailers have modified their privacy policy to avoid regulatory penalties and maintain customer trust. To create a competitive advantage, however, you must build comprehensive and integrated privacy programs from the ground up. These programs should include corporate data capture strategies that do not inhibit customers’ increased demands for convenience, flexibility, and security. Booz Allen Commercial Solutions combines industry knowledge and relevant experience with the right people and technologies to reduce risk, improve safety, and increase profitability for your business. Together, we help you thrivetoday, tomorrow, and beyond. For more information, contact: Sedar Labarre Vice President Tel +1 202-346-9201 [email protected] Jennifer Barnes Principal Tel +1 917-305-8008 [email protected] Jim Koenig Principal Tel +1 267-330-7822 [email protected] Susan Maly Senior Associate Tel +1 703-377-6448 [email protected] www.boozallen.com/commercial

Retail Revolution: Thrive in Disruption

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Page 1: Retail Revolution: Thrive in Disruption

Commercial Solutions

Retail Revolution Thrive in Disruption

If you’re working in the retail industry, you probably need a moment to catch your breath. In the

new omni-channel environment, retailers are facing demands for convenience, value, and

connected solutions—all to create the ultimate consumer experience. The opportunity for game-

changing success is stunning, but the benefits are matched by some daunting challenges. From

cyber security to privacy, retail leaders must understand this revolution to reap its rewards while

minimizing business threats.

Opportunity & Risk in a Shifting Landscape

While the retail evolution is constant, the industry revolution is in response to four key factors

that impact business today—and tomorrow.

Technological advances are in their infancy.

GPS-enabled mobile devices, social media, and facial recognition technologies are driving

integrated services and new sources of revenue. During the past year, retail mobile ad

spending increased by more than 400%. The use of social networks by the shopping

millennial— with 57% comparing prices and 24% seeking opinions—opens the door for new,

highly tailored customer interactions. Retailers who seize the opportunities of emerging

technologies will stay out in front.

Analytics are creating the ultimate consumer experience.

Retailers are profiting from advances in data science, with an estimated 10% increase in sales

from implementing data analytics. The traditional boundaries between brick-and-mortar stores,

e-commerce, and mobile platforms have crumbled, leading 70% of retailers to adopt an omni-

channel strategy that links in-store and digital experiences. With increased data capture, there

will be more opportunities for analytics implementation and revenue generation.

Cybersecurity demands attention from the C-suite.

Retailers are in a tough spot, working to balance innovative opportunities with new and

unknown threats. The retail industry is impacted by 24% of all breaches, second only to financial

services, with the average cost of a single incident doubling between 2013 and 2014 to $8.6

million per company. Cyber security is no longer only the purview of IT shops: It requires

executive attention.

Consumers expect privacy.

Retailers are charged with the responsibility of protecting valuable consumer information. Most

mega retailers have modified their privacy policy to avoid regulatory penalties and maintain

customer trust. To create a competitive advantage, however, you must build comprehensive

and integrated privacy programs from the ground up. These programs should include corporate

data capture strategies that do not inhibit customers’ increased demands for convenience,

flexibility, and security.

Booz Allen Commercial Solutions

combines industry knowledge and

relevant experience with the right

people and technologies to reduce

risk, improve safety, and increase

profitability for your business.

Together, we help you thrive—

today, tomorrow, and beyond.

For more information, contact:

Sedar Labarre

Vice President

Tel +1 202-346-9201

[email protected]

Jennifer Barnes

Principal

Tel +1 917-305-8008

[email protected]

Jim Koenig

Principal

Tel +1 267-330-7822

[email protected]

Susan Maly

Senior Associate

Tel +1 703-377-6448

[email protected]

www.boozallen.com/commercial

Page 2: Retail Revolution: Thrive in Disruption

Navigate the Revolution

Meeting change on so many fronts will lead some to play it safe, but today’s retail landscape doesn’t

favor slow-developing strategies. Retailers need an agenda to excel—and win—now.

Don’t just analyze the past: Use analytics to look forward.

Retailers have long used data to understand buying patterns and customer preferences. With

advances in analytics, these capabilities can now be forward looking and predictive.

• Opt in: Implement privacy guidelines—considering opt-in vs. opt-out models—in tandem with

digital listening and targeted marketing to connect with consumers in a new light.

• Put data to work: Develop prioritization models to collect the right data. Build dashboard

analytic tools to uncover relevant, consumable, and actionable insights.

Continue to blur the distinction between storefront and web.

The “us versus them” of brick & mortar and online retailers is obsolete. Consumer electronics

advance quickly, and you operate in their world and according to their needs.

• Embrace mobile: Invest in mobile applications and geo-location, m-commerce, and other

mobile capabilities.

• Be social (not just online): Integrate social media and targeted marketing into all sales

platforms and merge mobile into the storefront to drive digital customer interaction.

• Anticipate the next change: Deploy an innovative trend forecasting capability to understand

where your next challenge may lie.

Anyone can throw money at the cyber problem. Invest in the right security.

Borrowing ideas from government and the financial sector, you can make smart investments in new

cyber security capabilities that help prevent attacks or limit their impact.

• Start with the basics: Adopt secure data transfer solutions, track cyber traffic, analyze and

elevate anomalies, and be ready to act when something goes wrong.

• Know your adversary: Analyze threat actors’ known behaviors to understand, identify, and

prevent targeted attacks.

• Know your weaknesses: Map your ecosystem to identify all connectivity points so you can

visualize your risk.

Embrace privacy as an opportunity.

You understand your customer like never before, but all of that data needs protecting. To maintain

customer trust, privacy must move from back office compliance to executive priority.

• Design for privacy: From data management systems to social media campaigns, make privacy

part of the discussion from the start.

• Recognize the brand impact: Get privacy wrong, and you risk derailing your reputation. Get it

right—especially compared to competitors—and you have a brand-elevating opportunity.

At Booz Allen, we think differently. We help clients re-imagine the market landscape to anticipate

interdependencies created by new technology and respond. We are leaders in the emerging

challenges facing industry—in cyber, analytics, privacy, and beyond. Our success is measured by our

ability to help organizations transform to mitigate risk and realize market opportunity.

The only way to thrive amid disruption is

to take bold action with a focused agenda.

Booz Allen Hamilton has been at the forefront of strategy and technology consulting for more than a century. The firm provides

business and technology solutions to major corporations, leveraging capabilities and expertise developed during decades of

helping government clients solve their toughest problems. Booz Allen is headquartered in McLean, Virginia, employs more than

22,000 people, and had revenue of $5.48 billion for the 12 months ended March 31, 2014. (NYSE: BAH)