With customers bombarded with so many products and experiences, it's the brave retailer who can claim to offer anything unique in the way of merchandising or customer service.

So how do retailers hook customers with fresh, unusual, and relevant shopping experiences?

Increasingly, retail executives worldwide appreciate the significant roles good data acquisition, strategic data sharing, and aggressive employee evaluation play in improving:

• Customer service
• Customer loyalty
• New product development and introduction
• Promotional activities
• Customer satisfaction and retention

Indeed, the challenge today is to strengthen the bond between retailer and customer by acquiring and sharing the appropriate information for good decision making at all levels of the company.

To help you develop your own plans for creating a differentiated shopping experience for your customers, SAP is pleased to offer a free copy of Part 1 of The Economist Intelligence Unit 2007 series, "Intelligent Merchandising: Creating a Unique Shopping Experience." Register now for your copy, and learn more about best-practice plans and strategies for understanding and anticipating customer needs.

Intelligent Merchandising: Creating a Unique Shopping Experience (PDF, 1.3 MB).