Retailers failing to meet consumer expectations with respect to mobile and in-store experience.

• Position: MARKETING NEWS

U.S. RETAILERS ARE STRUGGLING--like financial services companies--to improve their operational capabilities in order to deliver a "seamless retail" experience to customers who say their expectations are not being met, according to new research by Accenture, the global management consulting company.

For the second consecutive year, two studies of "seamless retailing" indicate a number of gaps between consumer expectations related to product offerings and pricing and the ability of retailers to deliver what customers want, as they shop across a growing number of channels, Accenture says.

A survey of 750 U.S. consumers and a separate analysis of how U.S. retailers operate across multiple sales channels indicate that, in order to win consumer loyalty and achieve growth across all channels, retailers must enhance their mobile commerce offerings and improve the in-store shopping experience, according to the research.

Only 42 percent of shoppers found it easy to complete a purchase using a mobile device, and when asked which aspect of the shopping experience is most in need of an upgrade, 39 percent ranked the physical store first, showing that...