Revenue generated through smartphones is set to increase from 3.3% to 6.6% by 2013 according to retailers surveyed in the latest industry research from eDigitalResearch, Portaltech and IMRG.

As the retail world becomes increasingly multichannel, retailers are expecting a wider distribution of the revenue generated through the channels available to them, with mobile and social media platforms playing an increasingly important role.

The research, carried out earlier in the Autumn, also found that all retailers surveyed will make multichannel system replacement a top investment priority within the next two years. The survey also found that 82% of respondents have more than one technology application running their front office operations, making it increasingly difficult to make all the channels coherent to their customers.

Other key investment priorities include better integration of their current systems, store-based system replacements or upgrades, and developing and improving mobile sites or retail apps. Of those surveyed, only 4% indicated that the web and mobile team at their organisation would be getting smaller in the near future, highlighting the resounding support for and confidence in multichannel strategies across the retail industry.

Almost half of all respondents (46%) said that they were either 'not aware' or 'not aware at all' of how many visits a customer makes across their channels before making a purchase decision, potentially making it even more difficult for retailers to define their multichannel vision, accurately attribute a sale and achieve their growth goals.