Brandon Famous

With less than 50 days left before Christmas Day, retailers are geared up and ready for a healthy holiday shopping season. Buoyed by a robust economy and low unemployment rates, retail sales are forecasted for gains of almost 4.8% as the season unfolds. Stores are vying to win the most shopping dollars with minimal costs and several retail trends are emerging with the main emphasis being to engage shoppers in-stores, online and on their mobile devices.

“Retailers are focused on seamlessly merging the customers' online activities with their in-store experiences,” says Brandon Famous, Chairman, CBRE's Global Retail Occupier Executive Committee. “This trend enables the shopper to buy their products online and then go into the store to pick them up.”

Buy online/ship to store, BOSS, allows the online customer to choose from a wider selection of merchandise which is stocked at the retailer's warehouse waiting to be delivered to their nearest store. Major stores are anticipating that BOSS will not only decrease their delivery costs but potentially generate additional sales when the online purchaser comes into the store to pick up their merchandise.