Reimagining Business in the Age of the Customer

REIMAGINING BUSINESS IN THE AGE OF THE CUSTOMER
ISSUE 5

194
– Nigel Vaz,
Global Chief Strategy Oﬃcer & SVP,
Managing Director EMEA, SapientNitro London
Today's strategic imperative isn't
only to do things right, but also
to do the right things. Now is the
time for leaders to move beyond
incremental change, to reﬂect and
consider the fundamentals of
value creation in their business.

3
REIMAGINING BUSINESS
IN THE AGE OF THE CUSTOMER
As I meet with business leaders about the most pressing challenges and issues they’re facing, I notice a common angst that
spans all industries and geographies. They know that they need to evolve their businesses, but they don’t know precisely how or
where to turn for help. Technology innovation, shifting customer expectations and behaviors, and unforseen disruptors are
creating challenges to existing business models and threats to relevance. The pace of change required feels daunting.
Businesses are responding to the transformation challenge. The organization is changing. Roles that existed three
or four years ago are no longer relevant, and new roles are being created. Silos are breaking down, and how work
gets done is changing. Leading companies, and their partners, are creating transformative experiences and
business models.
It's a pivotal moment in business and, when we look at the ways we've historically prioritized experi-
ence to help our clients realize a better future for their customers and businesses, this feels like a
season purpose-built for our teams.
For example, our recently announced multiyear partnership with James Cameron’s Light-
storm Entertainment and 20th
Century Fox is designed to immerse current and future
fans in the world of Avatar, and ignite and sustain their passion for the franchise
through a next-generation digital experience. These are the types of partner-
ships that are truly reimagining business for the age of the customer.
Another groundbreaking example of reimagining business is our cus-
tomer journey transformation initiative for a leading financial services
client. We’ve been partnering with them to transform how customers engage
with the bank and establish a new operating model that can rapidly adapt and
respond to future customer needs.
To that end, in this edition of Insights we offer valuable research, provocations, and obser-
vations. These articles will, we hope, enlighten, guide, and inspire global leaders to reimagine
and rethink the fundamentals of their business. You'll find thinking and analysis on a wide
variety of topics like customer experience, enterprise information technology, artificial intelligence,
digital experience platforms, and more. Don't miss some new research on the retail industry on page
26, and learn from RBS’s eye-opening case study. We even explore business lessons that can be learned
from classical art.
I invite you to delve into these fascinating areas and I look forward to partnering with you to help lay the founda-
tion for what’s next. If you haven’t already, I encourage you to download our Insights app, which is available on iOS
and Android. Simply go to the relevant app store and search for “SapientNitro Insights.”
I hope you enjoy this book as much as we did putting it together.
Alan Wexler
SapientNitro CEO

4 5
INTRODUCTION
6 Contributors
10 Helping Clients Reimagine Business in the Age of the Customer
RESEARCH
26 Global Retailing in the Digital Age
48 Banks, Brands, and Consumers: A Vision for Mobile, Payment-Driven Change
OUR PERSPECTIVES
64 Dispelling 5 Myths About Experience Design
78 The Rise of Digital Experience Platforms
94 Enterprise Startup: Tactics for Thriving in Fast-Changing IT Environments
INDUSTRY VOICES & GAME CHANGERS
110 Case Study: Reimagining Banking at RBS
TRENDS AT THE INTERSECTION
OF TECHNOLOGY & STORY
124 Artificial Intelligence: Applying Big Data, Machine Learning, & Causal
Reasoning to Digital Transformation
134 Leveraging Emotion Insights to Drive Experiential Return
146 Conversational UI: Talking Loud and Saying Plenty
158 How Brands Are Changing the Context of Location Marketing
THE EYE-OPENER
170 Picture This: How Art Can Help Digital Find Its Soul
TABLE
OF
ONT
ENT
C

7
CONTRI
BUTORS
Paul Eisen, PhD
Director, Experience Design,
SapientNitro Toronto
Paul helps businesses transform by
creating innovative and powerful ex-
periences. To help clients achieve their
goals, he defines experience strategies
and robust frameworks that enable
ongoing optimization of the value ex-
change between brands and customers.
Kieron Leppard
Creative Director, Experience Design,
SapientNitro London
At heart, Kieron is an experience de-
signer and a lover of all things digital.
Since joining SapientNitro in 2010, he
has worked for clients like Saks Fifth
Avenue, British Airways, and RBS – and
has picked up numerous awards along
the way.
Nathan Chmielewski
Senior Associate, Research and Insights,
SapientNitro Chicago
Nate is a researcher focused on customers’
interactions with brands across all
touchpoints. He connects experience,
secondary research, and social insights
to understand consumer behavior and
brand positioning, and identify opportuni-
ties to improve the customer experience.
Andre Engberts
Technology Director,
SapientNitro Minneapolis
Andre has worked in digital technology
for over a decade helping transform
global clients such as Dell, Harley-
Davidson, Samsung and a large US-
based quick-service restaurant chain.
His technical experience spans web,
mobile, campaign, commerce, and
personalization technologies.
Daniel Harvey
Creative Director & Global Practice
Lead, Experience Design,
SapientNitro London
Daniel is Creative Director & Global
Practice Lead, Experience Design at
SapientNitro in London. Before that,
he was Executive Creative Director at
R/GA in New York. He’s led innovative
work for clients like HBO, NatWest,
and Verizon.
Matthew Maxwell
Associate Creative Director,
SapientNitro London
Matthew originally trained as an artist,
but found the Internet offered a broader
canvas. As a digital creative, his work
has helped sell everything from luxury
cars and sexual health to gaming
platforms, long distance flights, and
delivery pizza.

8 9
David Poole
Financial Services Center of Excellence,
SapientNitro Boston
David Poole leads SapientNitro’s Finan-
cial Services Center of Excellence which
supports a global network of banking,
insurance, and wealth management cli-
ents in thought leadership, innovation,
and customer insight. A change agent
with over twenty years of experience,
David shares his passion for making it
fun to be financially healthy.
Melissa Read, PhD
Global Emotion Insights Head,
SapientNitro Atlanta
Melissa’s practice uses cognitive and
neural science techniques to assess real
emotions in response to brand experi-
ences. Emotion insights help marketers
maximize brand engagement, minimize
pain points, drive creativity, and quan-
tify success.
Scott Petry
Vice President, Technology,
SapientNitro Atlanta
Scott drives effective technology solu-
tions as part of a cross-functional team
helping brands connect with their cus-
tomers through experience, media, and
technology. He works with great brands
like UPS, ADT, MD Anderson, AT&T,
Universal Orlando, and Carnival.
Nigel Vaz
Global Chief Strategy Officer & SVP,
Managing Director EMEA,
SapientNitro London
Nigel leads Razorfish and SapientNitro
for EMEA – working closely with the
agencies’ combined leadership team to
partner with clients to help them realize
a better future for their businesses and
improve their customers’ lives.
Josh Sutton
Global Head, Artificial
Intelligence Practice,
Publicis.Sapient
Josh is the Global Head of Publicis.
Sapient’s Data and Artificial Intelligence
Practice. In this role, he is responsible
for leveraging big data tools as well as
correlation-based and causal-based
AI platforms to help clients transform
their businesses.
Alan Wexler
SapientNitro CEO
Alan is responsible for overall leadership
of SapientNitro globally, Alan has held
a number of key management positions
since joining Sapient in 1998, including
leadership of the North America, Europe,
and Asia-Pacific regions. Alan has also
led several industry verticals including
media, entertainment, telecommuni-
cation, and healthcare, and launched
SapientNitro’s mobile practice in 2000.
Jemuel Ripley
Vice President, Global Retail Lead,
SapientNitro New York
Jem is responsible for driving key sector
initiatives that include retail innovation,
original research, talent development,
and strategies that guide retailers as
they navigate uncertainty, compete
globally, and connect always-on con-
sumers to their brands.
Zachary Jean Paradis
Vice President, Retail Strategy,
Zachary is a strategist, professor, and
writer obsessed with transforming lives
through customer experience. He acts
as co-lead for the firm’s Experience
Strategy domain, supports the company’s
innovation efforts, and teaches at the
IIT Institute of Design.
Pawan Udernani
Director, Client Services,
SapientNitro London
Over the last 3 years, Pawan has been
leading SapientNitro and RBS’ experience-
led digital transformation journey.
This successful partnership has resul-
ted in multiple awards, along with
increases in RBS’ NPS, digital sales,
and employee engagement.
Ritesh Soni
Vice President, Data Science,
SapientNitro Washington, D.C.
Ritesh focuses on applying methods
in machine learning to opportunities
in retail, e-commerce, marketing, and
operational optimization. His Data
Sciences team combines the latest
methods to develop highly scalable
systems with machine learning at
their core.
Sheldon Monteiro
Global Chief Technology Officer,
Sheldon leads global technology capa-
bilities, engineering, quality, methods,
DevOps, and tools. He sponsors and is a
senior faculty member at SapientNitro’s
CMTO University, an in-house executive
development program to grow Sapient-
Nitro’s marketing technologists.
Pinak Kiran Vedalankar
Director of Technology,
Digital Transformation
SapientNitro London
Pinak leads digital transformation
engagements from a technology and
engineering standpoint. His specific
focus is on scaling agile and engineer-
ing for enterprise, microservices, auto-
mation, DevOps, commerce, content,
social, mobile, and stores/branches.

11
In boardrooms around the world, senior executives are discussing a common
dilemma: how to create transformative experiences and business models that
improve their customers’ lives, drive growth, and boost profitability and efficiency.
Regardless of industry or location, businesses are facing a new world. By 2026,
the average Standard & Poor's 500 business will last just fourteen years.2
The
average business model is sustained for roughly half that: just six years.3
What
was once a landscape of five-year strategies, long-lived information technology (IT)
investments, and product line extensions is evolving into a rapid series of digital
business transformation initiatives, platform thinking, and customer experience.
The continued evolution of digital capabilities is pushing businesses to rethink their
fundamental views on customers, competitors, products, and partners.
For most companies, the strategic imperative should not just be doing things right,
more efficiently, or optimally. Leaders must also determine the right things to do.
Now is the time to reflect and consider the fundamentals of value creation in the
business – to go beyond the immediate, incremental change. How are you serving
your customers? Where do you want to fit into their lives? Are your traditional
ways of generating value sufficient?
HELPING CLIENTS
REIMAGINE
BUSINESS IN
THE AGE OF THE
CUSTOMERNIGEL VAZ
1
SapientNitro. Be the Gryphon. http://www.sapientnitro.com/en-us.html#perspective/insights/insights-articles/
be-the-gryphon-digital-business-transformation.
2
Innosight. Corporate Longevity: Turbulence Ahead for Large Organizations. http://www.innosight.com/innovation-
resources/strategy-innovation/upload/Corporate-Longevity-2016-Final.pdf.
3
The Boston Consulting Group. “Business Model Innovation.” https://www.bcg.com/expertise/capabilities/strategy/
business-model-innovation.aspx.
Successful digital
transformation
is not a one-off
activity, but
an ongoing
commitment to
adapt in line
with changing
customer needs
and expectations.1

12 13
3.1%
What are businesses’ ambitions for transforming?
Many large institutions, typically incumbents, start with a defense strategy. Yet
evidence shows that a more aggressive approach – one that embraces innovation
and digital business transformation – can be more effective.
FIGURE01
Digital business
transformation is
widespread and of
urgent importance
among executives.
Both studies reinforced the same point:
Digital business transformation is of
urgent importance among executives.
In fact, our 2016 CMTO study deter-
mined that, while nearly all organiza-
tions (96.9 percent) are addressing
digital in some way, just six out of ten
(56 percent) have made DBT a priority
(see Figure 2).
Comparing and contrasting the adoption and prioritization of transformation
This year’s CMTO study revealed the stark difference between the percentage of organizations that are addressing digital
and those that prioritize digital business transformation, specifically. It appears from this research that many firms recog-
nize the need to respond to digital, but are failing to make DBT a priority. In fact, nearly 2 of 10 businesses didn’t even know
whether DBT is a priority.
FIGURE02
New digital pure-plays – companies
designed expressly for the digital world
– have arrived. Faster, simpler, and
better optimized, these businesses are
in some ways stronger than the legacy
players. From a category disruptor like
Airbnb to a new entrant like Under
Armour, they are challenging the status
quo in long-established industries.
Today’s competitive marketplace
requires a deeper level of change
– a reimagining of every part of the
business. More specifically, businesses
must invest in product innovation, the
integration of technology and frame-
works, and open platforms.
In light of this new landscape, senior
leaders have a quandary (see Figure 1).
Do they defend, build upon, and lock in
their positions as incumbents? Or do
they take risks, disrupt, and potentially
expose themselves?
To understand companies’ ambitions
for transforming, SapientNitro conducted
two pieces of research on the nature of
digital business transformation (DBT)
over the past two years. In the first, Be
the Gryphon, SapientNitro partnered
with Ovum, a research and consulting
firm, to interview fifty global chief execu-
tive officers (CEOs) involved in DBT.
The second, Digital Business Trans-
formation and the CMTO: Leadership
in the Digital Age, explores the DBT
perspectives of 223 U.S. and Canadian
executives in charge of both marketing
and technology, a hybrid role called
the chief marketing technology officer
(CMTO).
Most businesses are responding to digital in some way
But less than 60% have made digital business transformation a top three priority
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Customer experience
holistically across all
channels
Operational
processes
Customer experience
with specific channels
IT capabilities to be more
agile/continuous
Business
models
56.5%
96.9% of organizations are transforming their businesses in some way
Differentiate
Defend
Disrupt
Digital redefines the
terms of competition
Business benefits
The company
replatforms
marketing,
sales & service
Delivering new value
and experience
organizations have
made digital business
transformation a priority
6outof 10
No significant initiatives
in digital
54.3%
49.8% 48.4%
39%
Q: Is digital business transformation a top 3 priority?
56%
Yes
17.1%
I don't know
26.9%
No
Source: SapientNitro, 2016.

14 15
The reimagining imperative
Forces from across technology, consumer behavior, and the marketplace are pushing organizations (and their leaders) to
recognize, adopt, and prioritize their need to evolve new ways of doing business.
FIGURE03
To respond, we’ve developed an ap-
proach called the reimagining impera-
tive (see Figure 3). We define this as
the compelling need for companies to
embrace change across all aspects of
their business, including personnel and
leadership, partners, and supply chain.
As executive leaders focus on two
priorities – the search for further reve-
nue growth and improving profitability
by driving down costs and boosting
efficiency – we believe a reimagining of
fundamental business characteristics
and relationships will be necessary.
The size of the gap between these
businesses' aspirations and their reali-
ties is reinforced in this research.
The sentiment is
that there's still a
lack of attention and
resources dedicated
to DBT.
– SapientNitro’s Digital
Business Transformation
and the CMTO: Leadership
in the Digital Age
Key DBT research findings
Effective digital business transformation strategies will become an underlying
survival and success factor in the age of Tesla, Uber, and Airbnb. Rather than
digitizing piecemeal, DBT calls upon business leaders to reimagine their entire
organizations for the digital world. Nothing short of wholesale transformation will
be sufficient to compete.
Yet our research shows that companies willing to make this leap are rare. We
identified four key research findings across these two studies.
1Leadingcompaniesareexploring
businesstransformation,butthe
shiftisnascent
Leading companies are exploring
business transformation, but the shift is
nascent – just 22 percent have a formal
business document, and 34 percent
remain in the “boardroom discussion”
phase (see Figure 4).4
Most executives
are still in their early stages of planning.
In reality, few are “advanced” and most
are assessing their strategies.
Our research revealed three main stages
in DBT concept development:
Creating “strategic intent”
Having a boardroom discussion
and strategy debate
Creating a tangible and formal
business document that articulates
the scope of the challenge, along
with the resources and timescale
required to execute
Our second study, completed in
the first half of 2016, found that a
majority of businesses (97 percent)
are “addressing digital,” but this broad
language leads us to conclude that it
is likely piecemeal innovation and not
wholesale transformation.
Most commonly, organizations are
focusing on transforming the customer
experiences holistically “across all
channels” or “within specific channels.”
Some are also transforming operational
processes. However, just 56 percent
believe that digital business transfor-
mation is a priority as of mid-2016,
much lower than those who are just
responding to digital (see Figures 2a
and 2b on the previous page). This re-
flects the gap between those creating
short-term, point solutions and those
embracing digital business transforma-
tion holistically.5
4
SapientNitro. Be the Gryphon. http://www.sapientnitro.com/en-us.html#perspective/insights/insights-articles/be-the-gryphon-digital-business-transformation.
5
SapientNitro. Digital Business Transformation and the CMTO: Leadership in the Digital Age. Research not yet released.
New types
of competitors
New, emerging
business models
New technologies
The Millennial
Generation
THE REIMAGINING IMPERATIVE
The fundamental need to evolve new ways of doing business
Marketplace
factors
Give
rise to
Forces
of change
SAAS
Mobile & cloud
Wearables
The Internet of Things
Virtual reality
Artificial intelligence
Any time, anywhere expectations
Content creators & curators
Massive data generators
Empowered consumers
Technology New consumer
What is your digital business
transformation agenda?
FIGURE04
22%
Formal
business
document
34%
Boardroom
discussion
44%
A strategic intent

16 17
2Successful DBT must be led by
the C-suite – and with teams
(not just individuals)
Such is the importance of reimagining
business that among companies with
a DBT agenda, all fifty CEO-level res-
pondents considered themselves to be
the leaders of their companies’ DBT
agendas. And over two-thirds nomi-
nated a lieutenant to lead the digital
business transformation charge. In
nearly half (47 percent) of these nomi-
native instances, the chief information
officer (CIO) or chief technology officer
CMOs and CEOs were most likely to be responsible for DBT
While our research in the previous year showed that CEOs considered themselves
(or the CIO/CTO) most responsible for reimagining their businesses, this year’s
study revealed that CMOs now lead the pack.
FIGURE05
3Successful DBT means
that marketing and IT must
collaborate
Closer collaboration between CMOs
and CTOs is needed to create strong
results for the business.
Multiyear, strategic digital business
transformation programs require large
and phased capital budgeting manage-
ment – familiar to many CIOs/CTOs,
but something that, in the context of IT,
CMOs may struggle with.
6
SapientNitro. Be the Gryphon. http://www.sapientnitro.com/en-us.html#perspective/insights/insights-articles/be-the-gryphon-digital-business-transformation.
7
SapientNitro. Digital Business Transformation and the CMTO: Leadership in the Digital Age. Research not yet released.
(CTO) was nominated, followed by the
chief marketing officer (CMO) with 26
percent of the responses.6
In our subsequent U.S. study, we saw
a slightly different pattern. We found
that executive responsibility for DBT
resides in the C-suite, although across
a broader set of roles. Top categories
were the CMO (25.5 percent) and
CEO (22.5 percent), followed by
“other” (17.6 percent) and the CIO/
CTO (12.5 percent).7
Our takeaway is that when DBT is
a top strategic priority, it has C-suite
leadership and visibility (either a top
lieutenant or the CEO). The unique
relationships and responsibilities of
these roles across companies, as
well as regional differences, may also
explain some of the variance.
Are CMTOs equipped to reimagine their businesses for the digital age?
When asked whether they feel equipped to drive change in their organizations,
over 90% of CMTOs indicated that they were somewhat or fully equipped to
drive change.
FIGURE06
CMO
CEO
Other
Not Sure
CIO/CTO
CMTO
CDO
25.5%
22.2%
4.6%
3.7%
17.6%
13.9%
Q: Are you equipped to drive change in your organization?
22%
Fully equipped
6.7%
Not at
all equipped
71.3%
Somewhat equipped
CMOs bring different strengths: a
tradition of speed-to-market and oppor-
tunistic investment in the fast-moving
digital economy.
In fact, some companies are going
so far as to develop new, hybrid roles
such as the chief marketing technology
officer (CMTO) or chief digital officer
(CDO) to oversee both marketing and
IT. We found that over 90 percent of
these new leaders feel fully or some-
what equipped to drive change in their
organizations (see Figure 6).
In the end, both sides – the right and
left brains – of an organization must
come together to reimagine the business.
90%
of CMTOs or CDOs feel fully or
somewhat equipped to drive
change in their organizations.
Q: Which executive is responsible for leading digital business transformation in
your organization?
Over
12.5%

18 19
4Conflicting priorities, along
with a lack of dedicated
resources and organizational
alignment, are some of the key
obstructions to successful DBT
Our research suggests that having con-
flicting priorities remains the top (39
WHAT IS A GRYPHON?
The Gryphon of legend was half
lion, half eagle – a dominant preda-
tor among all creatures. Similarly, a
business Gryphon is also equipped
with hybrid capabilities. It looks
and behaves differently from any-
thing seen before. It causes tradi-
tional predators to struggle to adapt
to the new rules of the ecosystem.
Gryphons are born every day.
They disrupt our understanding
of the world and instinctively break
previously-assumed boundaries to
combine the best technologies, ser-
vices, and experiences (see Figure 8).
Gryphon-like attributes can be seen
in the rapid advances of businesses
such as Uber in transportation,
Airbnb in property rentals, Spotify
in music (notably, streaming has
already disrupted the emergent
download market), and BuzzFeed
in media.
Being a Gryphon organization is not
about age or size, but rather about
state of mind. Apple is an example
of a large organization that conti-
nually reinvents itself by creating
product lines like the Apple Watch
and iPhone that supplant previously
successful lines such as the iPod –
itself a byproduct of Apple’s con-
quest of the music industry.
The characteristics of a Gryphon organization
A Gryphon organization is one that reimagines its business across the board – covering aspects such as
leadership, customer experience, digital integration, internal structure, agility, and talent.
FIGURE08
Obstacles in implementation
Conflicting priorities, along with a lack of dedicated resources and organizational
alignment, are the top obstacles to digital business transformation. One surprise?
Just 10% indicate a lack of clear business case as a key obstruction – in which
case, why aren’t businesses doing it more?
FIGURE07
Q: What are the major obstacles to the successful implementation of your orga-
nization's digital business transformation initiatives?
Conflicting priorities
Lack of dedicated resources
Lack of organizational alignment
Budget concerns/lack of investment
Lack of vision from leadership
Inadequate IT capabilities
Lack of skills
Lack of governance/coordination
Lack of plan
Lack of a clear business case
None
Lack of awareness of market forces
Regulatory/security concerns
Other
38.0%
35.2%
29.6%
26.4%
18.5%
17.1%
14.8%
13.9%
10.6%
10.6%
9.7%
3.7%
8.8%
0.9%
19
COLLABORATIVE STRUCTURE
Organizational culture and/or deﬁned
processes by which key executive
stakeholders and functions unite be-
hind digital business transformation
DIGITAL CORE
Digital as a core competence
not a bolt-on
CUSTOMER-CENTRIC
Business is built around the
belief that consumers and rapid
uptake of technology are the
drivers of change
AGILITY AND SPEED
The ability to pivot and the
notion of speed itself being a
competitive advantage
HYBRID SKILLS
Marketing and technology skills
and roles are increasingly hybrid
VISIONARY LEADERSHIP
A CEO and leadership team that leads
digital business transformation within
the organization and drives ongoing
change and improvements
DISRUPTIVE CULTURE
A willingness to challenge norms
and disrupt itself in order to enter
new markets and categories
ALL-EMBRACING APPROACH
A holistic, company-wide
commitment to reshape and
retool for a digital future
ONGOING COMMITMENT
TO CHANGE
Recognize that change is
iterative and permanent
percent) obstruction to the successful
implementation of an organization’s
digital business transformation. This is
perhaps reflective of the 40 percent of
organizations that haven’t made DBT
a top three priority for their company.
Similarly, the next three obstacles –
a lack of dedicated resources (35
percent), organizational alignment
(30 percent), and investment (26
percent) – suggest a lack of vision
around the comprehensive organiza-
tional change required for successful
business transformation (see Figure 7).
Just10%
indicate a lack of clear business
case as a key obstruction to DBT –
in which case, why aren’t businesses
doing it more?
One surprise?

20 21
Key steps to successful reimagining
LARGE ORGANIZATIONS
URGENTLY NEED TO BEGIN A
BOARD-LEVEL REIMAGINING
DISCUSSION
The data is stark: Just 22 percent of
companies have a formal plan for digital
business transformation. And just 56 per-
cent have made DBT a top three priority.
To create a digital business trans-
formation strategy and intent, large
incumbents (in most industries) need
to move faster to embrace digitally-led
transformation. Defend, differentiate,
or disrupt: Regardless of strategy,
the transformation priority affects
every aspect of businesses, including
business strategy, the business model,
data, internal processes, and culture.
All of these are materially influenced by
the digital priority.
Furthermore, for many companies,
quality board-level discussions around
reimagining the business may not
be possible without a new level of
executive digital savvy and awareness,
even as organizations cultivate these
skills throughout their ranks. People
and talent, as ever, are key pieces of
the puzzle.
RETHINK HOW THE BUSI-
NESS GENERATES VALUE
FOR ITS CUSTOMERS
For many organizations grappling
with its potential, digital business
transformation represents a once in
a decade opportunity to rethink the
core levers involved in generating value
for customers.
Contextualizing your business and its
value – not based on where it has been
in the past, but rather where it should
be in the future – is an urgent priority.
In our experience, a focus on the cus-
tomer journey – and your part in it – is
a good place to start.
Ultimately, though, DBT involves re-
thinking the entire value proposition of
the enterprise. To that end, successful
DBT initiatives should be focused on
the customer journey, should be owned
by the CEO, and must be supported
and implemented by an executive team
or task force. For most organizations,
this means close involvement and colla-
boration between the CTO and CMO.
ENABLE THE RIGHT CULTURE
AND INCENTIVES
To thrive in this fast-changing, technolo-
gy intensive environment, leaders need
to ensure that their organizations rein-
force values that will help them succeed.
To that end, organizations should
endeavor to build and maintain cultures
that prize innovation, constant change,
and evolution. Rather than being
process-oriented, organizations must
select and train for flexibility and agility.
Executives should ensure people’s
incentives and alignment, evaluate
systems and structures, and design a
culture consistent with these traits.
Culture too often is viewed as an out-
come of business transformation. On
the contrary, culture should be an input
in the transformation process – one as
important as organizational changes
or the value-generating aspects of the
business model.
EMBRACE INNOVATION
AND CONSTANT CHANGE
There is no steady state. Forward-
thinking leaders know that constant
reinvention is the key to medium- and
long-term success. There is no “one
and done” in business transformation
today. Consider Netflix’s continued evo-
lution from DVDs to streaming services,
and now content production. They have
used technology as an enabler with
every step.
For most companies, a strategic
reimagining is becoming ever more
urgent given the current pace of
disruption, new entrants, and changing
consumer behaviors.
TECHNOLOGY & MARKETING
ARE DIFFERENTIATORS, NOT
SUPPORT FUNCTIONS
In this new era, both technology and
marketing are playing new roles in
generating value. Technology is no
longer just supporting the business
or enabling operations. Rather, it is a
strategic weapon and differentiator.
Similarly, forward-looking companies
think of marketing not as a broadcast
center or passive lead generation ma-
chine, but rather as an area to generate
insights and define the proposition to
the customer.
1 2 3 4 5

22 23
Conclusion
The world has shifted from allowing
brands to simply state their missions,
visions, and promises, to requiring them
to demonstrate their intentions through
tangible and sustainable actions.
There are several organizations in
particular that have reimagined their
business to remain relevant in the
digital age. Lightstorm Entertainment
is in the process of transforming the
entire world of Avatar into a multiyear,
multichannel digital platform for fan
engagement – a platform that uses
advanced analytics to evolve with each
sequel release. And in financial ser-
vices, RBS embraced digital business
transformation to deliver on its promise
of “Helpful Banking.”10
Now, the need for leaders is to consider
how they go about transforming their
entire organization for a digital world.
By reimagining the business and embra-
cing technology, it’s possible for every
company to become a Gryphon.
Nigel Vaz
Global Chief Strategy Officer & SVP,
Managing Director EMEA,
SapientNitro London
nvaz@sapient.com
Now, the need
for leaders is to
consider how
they go about
transforming
their entire
organization for
a digital world.
By reimagining
the business and
embracing
technology, it’s
possible for every
company to
become a Gryphon.
WHAT S-CURVES TELL US ABOUT REIMAGINING
BUSINESS
Theories of disruptive innovation have
long been used in technology intensive
businesses to understand the dynamics
of competition. But as all businesses
become technology intensive, the
model’s applications and relevance
have broadened.8
In particular, we’ve found the s-curve
model of technology diffusion helpful
to both reinforce the need for constant
reinvention and to spot inbound disrup-
tions from other industries.
Several characteristics of the theory of
disruptive innovation, and its associated
s-curve model, are relevant to the boards
and executives that are reimagining
their businesses:
Success in a non-linear business environment means forcing your
business from the status quo onto new, fast-growing platforms
before they're mainstream.
FIGURE09
The nature of competition is that a
technology or company, not initially
seen as a direct threat, will evolve
over time and possibly outperform
an existing technology. There are
many examples in the history of
business, including the development
of mini-mills in the steel industry;
the growth of Amazon in the retail
industry; Airbnb’s innovation in
the hospitality industry; and the
software disruption brought on by
Apple’s iTunes Store.
With today’s competition being
based on platforms, technology, and
agility, it is evident that we live in
an increasingly non-linear world.
Non-linear functions reward early
adopters and fast-movers, while
punishing large, slow-paced orga-
nizations that can see the ground
beneath them shifting dramatically.
To ride these repeating waves of
innovation, companies must rein-
vent themselves continuously, often
through strategic partnerships or
acquisition strategies. A case-in-
point is Facebook’s aggressive acqui-
sition of WhatsApp and Oculus.
Studying the s-curves in other
industries – particularly ones with
a greater competitive intensity and
more technology – can provide the
opportunity to spot new disruptions
before they hit your market. For
example, the digital shift of both the
music and publishing industries pre-
saged that of telecoms and financial
services, as well as the automotive
industry’s leap toward autonomous
and electric vehicles.
By understanding s-curves and their
associated theories, business leaders can
mitigate some of the risk of operating in
a modern landscape – one where (as we
noted in the introduction) the average
lifespan of the S&P 500 is fourteen
years, and business models need to be
reinvented in half that time.9
8
Clayton M. Christensen. The Innovator’s Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book That Will Change the Way You Do Business. 2011.
9
Innosight. Creative Destruction Whips through Corporate America. http://www.innosight.com/innovation-resources/strategy-innovation/upload/creative-de-
struction-whips-through-corporate-america_final2015.pdf.
Performance
Prepare
Path of a Gryphon
organization
Switch
Harness
Transition
Time
10
See “Case Study: Reimagining Banking at RBS” on page 110.

RESEARCH
Global Retailing in the Digital Age
Jemuel Ripley, Zachary Paradis, Hilding Anderson
& Nathan Chmielewski
Banks, Brands, and Consumers: A Vision for Mobile,
Payment-Driven Change
David Poole
26
48

RESEARCH 27
The third annual study of retailers’ use of mobile, e-commerce,
and in-store experiences
Current state
The retail industry remains poised on a knife’s edge. Dropping foot traffic, new
online-only competitors, and profound changes in customer preferences have
buffeted the industry for a decade or more.
Yet the same technology disrupting retail may also be its salvation. Click and
collect in-store. Mobile apps. E-commerce. Instagram. Beacons.
In this, our third annual retail study, we’ve tried to take a fairly comprehensive look
at how retailers are responding to this new environment. How effectively are retail-
ers weaving together mobile apps, e-commerce platforms, and in-store innova-
tions? What does the current state of retailing tell us about the future?
GLOBAL RETAILING
IN THE DIGITAL AGEJEMUEL RIPLEY, ZACHARY PARADIS, HILDING ANDERSON
& NATHAN CHMIELEWSKI

RESEARCH28 29
Retail stores are seeing roughly half of the foot traffic they saw 6 years ago.1
2010
1
SapientNitro estimates based on data reported by the Wall Street Journal, RetailNext.net, and Shoppertrax.com.
2
Mintel. Online Shopping US 2015 Report. http://www.mintel.com/press-centre/nearly-70-of-americans-shop-online-regularly-with-close-to-50-taking-advantage-of-free-shipping.
34.3 billion
visits
Key findings3
Four leaders: This year, we selected
four retailers as our leaders, based on
the strength and quality of their cus-
tomer experience. Apple, Sephora,
Argos, and Home Depot earned
their spots by integrating digital and
rethinking their store environments
more significantly than any others in
our study.
Stores are increasingly focused
on the entire customer journey,
with new innovations in the pre-visit
and post-visit stages. Starbucks’
pre-purchase, Walmart’s Savings
Catcher, and John Lewis’ click and
collect were notable.
Mobile payments continued
to be a hot topic this year, with
widespread use in the UK and slower
adoption in the U.S.4
Just three
retailers in our study enabled sales
associates to check out customers
remotely, however.
Reimagining the store: We’re still
early in the reinvention of the store.
Argos, Sephora, and Apple were
among the notables that have truly
rethought the store.
Future opportunities
This crucible of consumer change and
technology transformation must be met
with a similar transformation amongst
retailers. For most retailers, the easy
steps of pilots, testing, and point
solutions are largely done. What is left
is more fundamental – retailers must
reimagine their business in the age of
the customer (see Figure 1).
These steps include rethinking the role
of the store, IT operations, merchandis-
ing, and even the supply chain. The
fundamentals of competition are changing.
For marketers and retailers, this is no
longer the challenge of digitalizing
retailing. It is the challenge of retailing
in a digital age.
As part of Publicis.Sapient, SapientNitro works with our partners Digitas,
Razorfish, Rosetta, and Sapient Consulting to drive digital-at-the-core thinking.
Together, the P.S platform offers a digital transformation platform purpose-built
for today's digital world, helping companies transform existing business
activities from digital as an extension to digital as the core of the enterprise.
FIGURE01
Experience
Customer-focused > Experience-led
Enterprise IT
Industrial > Multispeed
Products & services
Individual projects > Service ecosystems
Organization
Silos > Collaborative
Marketing
Mass > Precision
Commerce
Point solution > Omnichannel
Data
Backward-looking > Real-time impact
•
•
•
•
3
For full details, see “About our research” at the end of this article.
4
For more on mobile payments, see SapientNitro’s “Banks, Brands, and Consumers: A Vision for Mobile, Payment-Driven Change.” http://www.sapientnitro.com/en-us.html#perspec-
tive/insights/insights-articles/banks-brands-and-consumers-a-vision-for-mobile-payment-driven-change.
15.1 billion
visits
33%
shop online
every week
69%
shop online at
least monthly
Dropping foot traffic
MORE DIGITAL2
2011
24.6 billion
visits
2012
20.6 billion
visits
2013
17.6 billion
visits
2014
16.1 billion
visits
2015
2016
14.2 billion
visits
Source: Publicis.Sapient, 2016.

RESEARCH30 31
Introduction to the research
To assess retailing in the digital age,
we studied retailers with physical
stores to see how the use of mobile,
e-commerce, and in-store technology
has evolved (see Figure 2). Our hypo-
thesis was that retailers were already
adapting to this changing environment.
We wanted to understand how they
were adapting and explore how sub-
segments (luxury, apparel, mass mer-
chandisers, etc.) have developed and
were competing.
We covered four major global cities
during the research: New York, Chicago,
Toronto, and London (see “About the
research” for details).
In reviewing ninety-nine retailers, we,
of course, discovered major variances
in competitive intent, degree of vision,
and quality of execution. There is no
one-size-fits-all here, and not every
innovation is appropriate for every busi-
ness. Each marketer has to evaluate the
fit to their specific business — to learn
from the best and decide what makes
the most sense for their needs.
In fact, our big realization is that
retailing in the digital age doesn’t mean
introducing “digital” (e.g., kiosks or
tablets) to the physical space. Instead,
it means redefining your entire business
around operating in a digital world.
Brands must follow the customer’s
journey across touchpoints — only
some of which will include digital tools
at all. A touchpoint might be defined
by a smile or the feel of a linen shirt.
A mirror image of you dressed in the
new style of the iconic Burberry trench
coat. The smell of a store as you enter.
Operating in a digital world requires
integrating the physical and digital,
hand in hand.
Our big realization
is that retailing
in the digital age
doesn’t mean
introducing
“digital” to the
physical space.
Instead, it means
redefining your
entire business
around operating
in a digital world.OUR
RESEARCH
We evaluated three categories of retail experiences: mobile, e-commerce,
and in-store.
FIGURE02
25%
Mobile app
effectiveness
overall and
in-store
Visibility Content Functionality Brand
20%
E-commerce
effectivness
(BOPIS/ROPIS,
ratings & reviews,
store location
finder, etc.)
55%
Store experience
12.5% 15% 15% 12.5%

RESEARCH32 33
Rules for creating retail experiences
How do you go about defining the best combination of physical and
digital for your brand? Our research uncovered five overarching rules
to keep in mind when designing the future of your retail experience.
1Retailers must become
more flexible, immersive,
and fit for purpose
Digital extensions — a great interactive
kiosk, mobile app, or sales associate
tool — are no longer enough. Retail
brands must reimagine their business
in the age of the customer.
Digital transformation is on the agenda
of retailers and their boardrooms.
According to a 2015 International
Data Corporation (IDC) study, nearly
two-thirds (64 percent) of Western
European retailers are currently under-
taking a formal digital transformation
5
IDC. “64% of Western European Retailers Currently Undergoing Formal Digital Transformation Effort, While Further 21% About to Start by End of the Year, Says IDC.”
https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUK25829515.
program, while a further 21 percent
were expected to have started one by
the end of 2015. They note that a “race
to digitize [is] taking place among the
largest retailers in Europe.”5
Our research shows that more trans-
formation is sorely needed. If there is
one overarching finding from our study
it is this: The examples that we saw in
market do not go far enough toward
rethinking the retail business for the
digital age.
Based on our research, we see the top
reimagining priorities to be centered
around three main questions:
You’ve been matched:
the output of the ColorIQ process
Sephora’s ColorIQ measures skin color, sets up follow-up purchases of
various foundations, and also offers a hands-on experience in the store.
FIGURE03
1HOW CAN YOU IMPROVE
FLEXIBILITY?
Retailing in the digital age should be
more flexible than in the past. This
means omnichannel and visibility; click
and collect; mobile ordering; ship-to-
home; and all the permutations. Our
leaders — Apple, Argos, and Sephora
— have all made significant progress in
this area (see Figure 3). In the UK, spe-
cifically in the cities, click and collect/
reserve has been credited with stalling
the decline in footfall. In fact, at one
leading UK retailer, it accounts for the
majority of orders via online platforms.
2HOW CAN YOU MAKE
THE EXPERIENCE MORE
IMMERSIVE?
On the less frequent occasions that
customers do go to the store, they
need to be greeted by great experiences.
Museum quality if you’re selling tech
hardware. Dynamic changing rooms
and great customer service if you’re in
apparel. Smaller spaces. Better tools.
Faster service.
3HOW CAN YOU MAKE
YOUR RETAILING PROPER-
TIES FIT FOR PURPOSE?
Retailing properties (mobile, e-com-
merce, and physical) should be fit for
purpose. Retailers in the digital age
need inventory, but they don’t need as
much inventory. Endless aisle tools,
smartphones, visibility of inventory, and
sales associates (You do have visibility,
right?) all mean more flexibility. Reduce
square footage, invest in community
events, and make the store and brand
be more connected to humans. Look
to recent trends in bookstores and
banks — fewer, smaller, and more
beautiful examples with higher sales
per square foot.

RESEARCH34 35
2Thinkexperience-ledandmobile
first:Mobile as the gateway to
the brand
If experience is the combination of
interactions (the tools that you use)
and perceptions (how you feel about
the brand), then the leaders in our
study thought more deeply about both.
We observed multiple techniques to
enhance the experiences of guests,
as each retailer made choices for their
discrete target audience.
Mobile as the gateway to the brand
For most retailers, smartphones are
now the gateway to the brand. Mobile
is how they start and sustain customer
relationships.
Forty-four percent of smartphone-
owning U.S. online adults (ages 18+)
have used their phone to research
products online while shopping in a
physical store in the past three months.
The most common, reported activities
include comparing prices (48 percent),
looking up product information (41
percent), and searching for coupons
(37 percent).6
It is how people find their local store,
explore the inventory, reserve the pro-
duct that they want (30 percent of
Sams Club’s e-commerce sales in
2015 involved in-store pickup), and,
increasingly, pay for their products.7
Mobile is now a primary touchpoint
for retailers.
In our study, we commonly noted
barcode scanners (to pull up reviews/
ratings and place orders), store loca-
tors, the ability to shop (m-commerce),
and wish list/save-for-later features
(see Figure 4). Top-scoring retailers are
pushing the boundaries even further
with voice capabilities, image search,
live chat, and mobile in-store maps.
With a buy button on more digital platforms, m-commerce is more widespread
than ever.
FIGURE04
FIGURE05
Mobile is becoming an essential channel in the store, with image search, wayfin-
ding, mobile payments, and voice-based search being offered. As we'll see in later
sections, it is also a key channel pre- and post-visit.
Among grocers, Walmart packs an
industry-leading mobile app with
notable tools including the Savings
Catcher, items’ aisle locations, pharma-
cies, registries, wish lists, weekly ads
and rollbacks, m-commerce with click
and collect, and Apple Watch support
for grocery lists. Waitrose has taken a
contrasting approach to Walmart with
a single-task mobile app. The “Pick
Your Own Offers” mobile app puts
the customer in control of couponing:
Customers choose ten items to link to
their myWaitrose card and automatical-
ly save 20 percent every time they buy
them, both in-store and online.
In North America, features like Macy’s
image search, Home Depot’s voice-
based search, and Apple’s EasyPay
make the phone a more powerful
tool in the store, and reduce the
workload in-store (see Figure 5).
In the UK, we found fewer smartphone
innovations. Waitrose and John Lewis
impressed with their mobile payment
app and “price match claim request,”
respectively, discussed elsewhere.
Waitrose, Marks & Spencer, and Boots
all supported Apple Pay.
6
Forrester. Consumer Technographics North American Retail And Travel Online Benchmark Recontact Survey 1, Q3 2016 (US). https://www.forrester.com/go?objectid=SUS3275.
7
eMarketer. “In-Store Pickups Account for Significant Ecommerce Sales.” http://www.emarketer.com/Article/In-Store-Pickups-Account-Significant-Ecommerce-Sales/1013503.
For most retailers,
smartphones are
now gateways
to the brand.
Mobile is how
they start and
sustain customer
relationships.
Facebook Instagram Pinterest Twitter WeChat
Macy’s image
search
Home Depot’s
voice-based
search
Apple’s
EasyPay
Waitrose’s
mobile payment
app
Buy button

RESEARCH36 37
Mobile payments
Both retailers and mobile providers are
entering the mobile payment space.
We noted a few stores which offer their
own payment technologies — Neiman
Marcus, Apple, and Starbucks, for
example. In the UK, the touch-to-pay
function (NFC) for small purchases
under thirty pounds was nearly ubiqui-
tous in London.
And mobile payments are growing
more widespread. By 2018, IDC pre-
dicts that 60 percent of omnichannel
retailers will have launched customer
mobile payment initiatives.9
According to NFC World, over 10
percent of UK card payments are
contactless, up over 300 percent from
the previous year.10
Grocery in the UK
leads the way, with 30 percent of all
transactions paid through some form
of contactless payment.11
According to
research from Barclaycard, one in three
merchants in the UK accepts contact-
less payments.
Contactless payment options in the
U.S. are just being introduced by the
likes of Apple Pay and Samsung Pay,
but banks and retailers have yet to buy
in – only 23 percent of big box retailers
offer Apple Pay in-store.12
Argos – a UK variety store – replaced their traditional catalogs with tablets and
enabled mobile-based payments for click-and-collect.
FIGURE08
FIGURE06
Neiman Marcus offers a novel in-store
payment mechanism with QR codes
tied to cards on file and their loyalty
program. This allows an easy mobile
checkout process.
Walmart recently introduced “Walmart
Pay,” a new feature on their existing app
that lets shoppers pay in-store using
their smartphones — replacing a tradi-
tional credit card swipe or writing
a check.13
Joining Apple, Samsung,
PayPal, and Google, Walmart is posi-
tioning itself for a stake in the growing
U.S. mobile payment market, which,
according to Forrester Research, is
anticipated to handle $142 billion in
transactions by 2019.14
We also saw some new innovations in
payments. Neiman Marcus’s app offers
a QR code feature, linked to an existing
card or account, which allows you to
use your smartphone to check out (see
Figure 6). And effective use of mobile
payments by Apple and Sephora
helped bolster their scores.
Sales-associate-based mobile check-
out in the U.S. was also noted, but only
at Apple, Sephora, and Neiman Marcus
(see Figure 7).
In the UK, the story is more compelling.
Self-checkout is now common across
all supermarkets in the UK and also in
home improvement stores, large news
agents, and chemists/pharmacies.
Leaders in our study include Tesco,
Argos, John Lewis, and Waitrose (see
Figure 8).
Sephora offers a clienteling app, allowing
sales associates to check out customers
in the aisle.
FIGURE07
60%
By 2018
of omnichannel retailers
will have launched
customer mobile
payment initiatives8
8
IDC. IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Retail 2015 Predictions — It's All About Participation Now. http://www.idc.com/research/viewtoc.jsp?containerId=252327.
9
Ibid.
10
NFC World. “One in Ten UK Card Payments Now Contactless.” http://www.nfcworld.com/2016/01/04/340840/one-in-10-uk-card-payments-are-now-contactless/.
11
Barclays Bank. “Reluctance to Introduce Contactless Payments for Christmas Leaves Merchants Out in the Cold.” https://www.home.barclaycard/news/reluctance-to-introduce-con-
tactless-payments-for-christmas-leaves-merchants-out-in-the-cold.html.
12
NFC World. “One in 10 UK Card Payments Where Contactless in 2015.” http://www.nfcworld.com/2016/05/23/344954/one-10-uk-card-payments-contactless-2015/.
13
Fortune. “Walmart Launches its Own Mobile Payment System.” http://fortune.com/2015/12/10/walmart-mobile-payment/.
14
Forrester. Five Payment Trends North American eBusiness Professionals Should Watch: 2016 To 2018. April 2016. https://www.forrester.com/go?objectid=RES129571.
The Argos mobile app
allows you to pay now
or pay when you pick up
an item.

RESEARCH38 39
3Focusonthefullcustomer
journey
By broadening the aperture of expe-
rience beyond its traditional focus in
retail — the store — leading brands are
creating a new competitive battle-
ground and winning sales before some-
one even arrives at a physical property
(see Figure 11).
According to Forrester, 41 percent of
U.S. online adults (ages 18+) discove-
red a retail product that they recently
purchased through an online source.
And 68 percent of online adults who
did research prior to a recent purchase
used two or more sources of informa-
tion in the process.15
And these customers are more valuable.
According to a study by IDC, omni-
channel shoppers have a 30 percent
higher lifetime value than those who
shop using only one channel.16
The Samsung store had a dedicated
kids’ play area.
FIGURE09
15
Forrester. Consumer Technographics North American Retail And Travel Customer Life Cycle Survey, Q1 2016 (US). https://www.forrester.com/go?objectid=SUS3172.
16
IDC. IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Retail 2015 Predictions — It's All About Participation Now. http://www.idc.com/research/viewtoc.jsp?containerId=252327.
17
Mobile Commerce Daily. “Starbucks’ Mobile Ordering Program Drives 20 percent of Transactions During Peak Hours.” http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/starbucks-earnings-
call-shows-significant-adoption-rates-for-mobile-order-and-pay.
18
GeekWire. “Starbucks Mobile Order-Ahead Usage Doubles from Last Year, Now Up to 8M Transactions per Month.” http://www.geekwire.com/2016/starbucks-mobile-order-ahead-
usage-doubles-last-year-now-8m-transactions-per-month/.
Experience-led, community-oriented,
and subtly enhanced by digital
In our study, it was clear that the store
has become, in turns, a distribution
hub, customer service zone, training
area, and community spot. Stores are
being reconceptualized. For example,
Waitrose is the click and collect leader
in the UK. Microsoft and Samsung
stores offer training areas and cus-
tomer service (as well as a bar, in
Samsung’s case). Under Armour has
a treadmill and jump zone to let you try
out their shoes and outfits on the move.
H&M even has a virtual runway that
lets you strut in front of cameras and a
green screen, and then lets you post
the finished product online. Increas-
ingly, new experience-led versions of
stores are being built within the context
of the digital age.
Community orientation was also
evident. Samsung, in its store in New
York’s Village, has a “kids section” with
a low table, comfortable seats, and
apps preloaded on their devices (see
Figure 9).
Digital should be a subtle experience
enhancer, rather than “in your face”
screens and kiosks. For example,
Sephora’s use of beacons — one of the
few in our study — is done well. Warby
Parker’s only digital solution — their
photobooth — provides entertainment,
drives mobile activity, and adds to the
try-on and store experience.
In the end, retailers are growing wiser
in their investments into the customer
experience. Gone are the “Me-Ality”
full-body scanners that occupied valu-
able floor space.
Retail should be the center of your cus-
tomers’ passion points (see Figure 10).
Provide the customers more reasons to
increase their dwell time.
Pre-visit
Starbucks was a highlight of capturing
pre-visit sales. Pre-orders (with their
“Mobile Order and Pay” app) account for
10 percent of all U.S. store transactions,
jumping to 20 percent of transactions
during peak hours.17
Twenty-four per-
cent of all transactions are paid using
Starbucks’ mobile app.18
This presents
multiple benefits: reduced wait time for
the customer, higher throughput, and
improved working capital for the store.
It also buttresses their loyalty program.
Starbucks is not alone in this, how-
ever. About one-third of U.S. retailers
covered in the study have click and
collect (BOPIS/ROPIS), while about
three-quarters of the UK retailers that
we reviewed had click and collect (see
Figure 12). Click and collect is prac-
tically ubiquitous in UK, with retailers
investing in operations for next-day
pickup (e.g., at TopShop, order in-store
by 5 PM and pick up from 12 PM the
next day; or at John Lewis, order by
8 PM and collect after 2 PM the
next day).
Waitrose offers self-checkout and click
and to collect in their London stores.
FIGURE12Samsung/Best Buy virtual reality promotion
For example, in our testing, Best Buy's Gear VR demo (left image) was unavailable
in our first three visits to stores. And, when we did ultimately sit down with the
headset, several elements were missing: no secondary screen (for friends to watch
the headset video), a non-swiveling chair, and a lack of separation from the noisy
environment. The Samsung store (right image) had all of these elements, which
resulted in a better experience.
FIGURE10
Foot Locker allows shoe fans to send
emoji versions of the latest sneaker
releases to their friends.
FIGURE11

RESEARCH40 41
As we noted earlier, click and collect
has been credited with forestalling a
decline in footfall in major UK cities.
Click and collect accounts for a majori-
ty of orders placed via online platforms
at one large retail store, as well as
helps drive revenue growth, according
to Matt Bradbeer, UK Retail Executive.
Over the past two years, there have
been signs of similar levels of invest-
ment by U.S. retailers. In 2015, Target
invested $1 billion in strengthening its
e-commerce offerings, which include
everything from grocery delivery, to
ship from store, and click and collect.20
Home Depot claims that over 40 per-
cent of online sales involves physical
stores.21
Walmart’s click and collect
was used the most during the holiday
period in the U.S., followed by Best
Buy, Target, Kmart, and Macy’s.22
Yet, by some measures, North Ameri-
can stores underperformed with their
pre-purchase experiences during the
latest holiday season (2015-2016).
One study found that 50 percent of
those who opted to buy online and pick
up in store encountered problems in
2015.23
Throughout our study, we wit-
nessed this first-hand. Missing signage,
poorly organized, poorly located, and
too-small pickup rooms were common
— at least in some stores. Click and
collect only works if stores are ready for
it (see Figure 13).
Much of the click to collect infrastructure
in the U.S. is still under development,
as we saw in our site visits. Shown
below is an in-store pickup booth at
a major retailer.
FIGURE13
19
JDA Software Group 2015 Study, as cited in Fortune. “Why ‘Buy Online, Pickup in Store’ Isn’t Working for Retailers.” http://fortune.com/2015/11/05/online-store-pickup/.
20
Fortune. “How Target Fended off Walmart and Amazon During the Holiday Season.” http://fortune.com/2016/02/24/target-ecommerce-holidays/.
21
Internet Retailer. “Mobile sparks Q4 sales at Home Depot.” https://www.internetretailer.com/2016/02/24/mobile-sparks-q4-sales-home-depot.
22
Yahoo Finance. “This Growing Trend is Changing the Retail Business.” http://finance.yahoo.com/news/growing-trend-changing-retail-business-172004348.html.
23
JDA Software Group 2015 Study, as cited in Fortune. “Why ‘Buy Online, Pickup in Store’ Isn’t Working for Retailers.” http://fortune.com/2015/11/05/online-store-pickup/.
Try-on and tryout option innovation
Another pre-visit aspect is try-on. Inno-
vative examples include Warby Parker’s
Home Try-on program — which is also
one of the best advertising platforms
for the brand. It lets customers try on
five pairs of eyeglasses at home, and
encourages them to post images of
their experiences on social networks.
Trunk Club enables an in-person
meeting with your personal stylist, but
also has a video conferencing option.
BMW’s i3 Extended Test Drive extends
the period you can try your new car
on the roads you know best, thereby
matching Tesla’s offer.
Post-visit innovation
But even more important, in our opinion,
is post-visit activity. This is important
because it drives repeat visits from
someone who is a known purchaser,
and adds value for both the customer
and the store.
Post-visit, we saw innovation in our
study from three companies in particu-
lar — the UK’s John Lewis price match
claim in their mobile app, Target with
their Cartwheel App, and Walmart with
the Savings Catcher (see Figure 14).
John Lewis’ “Never Knowingly
Undersold” promise extends to their
mobile app with a feature that allows
customers to submit a request for
matching another retailer’s price for
an item. The competing retailer must
have a high-street shop, and cannot
be online only (no price-matching
Amazon).
FIGURE14
Neiman Marcus’ mobile app provides
visibility into employees at your local
store. You can FaceTime, text, email, or
call them during their working hours.
FIGURE15
50%
of those who opted to
buy online and pick up
in store encountered
problems in 2015.19
24
Money Nation. “How to Save Money With Walmart Savings Catcher.” http://moneynation.com/save-money-walmart-savings-catcher/.
The Savings Catcher app lets you scan
your receipt with your mobile phone
camera, and Walmart will automatically
send you a gift card (that can only be
used at Walmart) with the difference in
price between what you paid and any
lower price offered by competitors in
the area. It has generated over $2M in
customer savings and also collected
a wealth of customer data.24
This
supports the retailer’s low price posi-
tioning and drives increased store
foot traffic.
Neiman Marcus also impressed in the
post-visit phase with its mobile app.
The app identifies sales associates with
FaceTime, email, text, and voice options
for immediate contact (see Figure 15).
Again, making it easy for someone to
restart the purchase process.
Designing for the post-visit stage of
the journey — whether with follow-up
emails, texts, savings catchers, or other
communications — is a significant op-
portunity missed, or poorly executed, by
many retailers in our study. And since
it requires close coordination across
all three of the core channels — mobile,
e-commerce, and in-store — it is an
excellent measure of whether a firm
has embraced digital-at-the-core in
its operations.

RESEARCH42 43
4Movefromdataandreportsto
intelligenceaboutperformance
andyourcustomers
A fourth area of innovation is the
growth of new instrumented sensors.
These sensors are used to optimize
endcap performance and overall traffic
flow throughout the store (typically
monitored via infrared) (see Figure 16).
Instrumented sensors are placed throughout a store to enable the measurement
and optimization of foot traffic.
FIGURE16
In fact, a March 2016 Forrester Report
noted that in-store analytics “are gain-
ing a foothold.”25
Indeed, technology
firm Brickstream noted that 71 percent
of retailers said that they use or plan to
use people-counting technology in their
stores, while 68 percent said that they
are looking to introduce in-store Wi-Fi
and loyalty systems.26
Facial recognition (which can reliably
identify gender and age) carts with
GPS trackers, and smartphone mo-
nitoring systems are additional inputs
into a network of measurement and
analytics (see Figure 17).
In our study, the only obvious exam-
ples of data and analytical awareness
occurred during our visits to Apple and
Sephora — both welcomed the visitor
to the store on their mobile phones and
prompted the use of the beacon tech-
nology. We saw no examples in the UK.
All told, these sensors can generate huge
quantities of performance and analytics
data. For example, the evaluation of
these data can lead to major revisions
in an understanding of customer beha-
vior. Executives might find that store
dwell time was significantly different
than they thought, or that smartphone
usage was primarily for entertainment,
not “showrooming,” or that it was used
primarily as a communication tool.
These and other insights can lead
brands to increase (or decrease)
investment into mobile apps, as well
as in-store use of digital endcaps (see
Figure 18).
Retail in the digital age requires optimi-
zation of store environments.
SapientNitro’s IONOS solution combines in-venue wayfinding with
real-time analytics, facial recognition, and touch-screen functionality.
FIGURE17
Optimization of store layouts and flow using real-time analytics
is now possible and affordable. In one study, an innovative endcap
received fewer visits, but had 10 times the total dwell time than
the adjacent, unlit endcap.
FIGURE18
25
Forrester. Analyze This: Web Style Analytics Enters the Retail Store. March, 2016. https://www.forrester.com/go?objectid=RES115390.
26
Brickstream. Retail Analytics: What’s In Store? http://www.ics.com.ph/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/In-Store-Analytics-Survey-Report.pdf.

RESEARCH44 45
Lowe's experimental robot, shown here
in its test store in Palo Alto, California,
offers wayfinding, voice recognition,
and product information.
FIGURE21
5Keepinmindthatstoresarefar
fromirrelevant
Our study confirmed that the role of
the store is changing. And you can’t
contemplate the changing retail envi-
ronment without noting Amazon and its
recent opening of digitally-enhanced
bookstores.
Innovations in store format
One of the big surprises from brands
in our study was that online pure-play
leaders — Bonobos, Warby Parker, and
Trunk Club — didn’t weave together their
physical and digital experiences. For
example, none offer click and collect
functions or in-store inventory visibility.
In the UK, we saw in-store innovations
from mass merchandiser Argos, which
is in the process of revitalizing its 700+
stores with tablets replacing traditional
print catalogs, LED screens placed
on the walls for dynamic signage, and
dedicated counters for fast click and
collect service. Argos delivers larger
“hub” store stock to nearby smaller
stores, enabling customer access to
the full range of stock in a few hours
or overnight.
A second example in the UK was
Made.com, a small-footprint furniture
showroom, which includes Instagram-
ready markers on the floor, self-service
tablets with scanners for in-store
shopping, and the collection of emails
through the tablet tool (see Figure 19).
In addition, projectors are used for
in-store signage, the store has a startup
feel (with glass walls to peer behind the
scenes at Made.com employees), and
private consulting rooms are available.
The Samsung pop-up shop in the UK’s
Westfield Mall ably showcases future
technology with hands-on demonstra-
tions of mobile, virtual reality (VR),
and wearables. They offer Gear VR
roller coaster, ski jump, and surfing
sections. A premium experience with
white-gloved employees allows try-on
of wearables and experimentation with
mobile devices (see Figure 20).
Bonobos’ mobile experience, on the
other hand, is a responsive website,
not an app, preventing any in-store
functions. In addition, the Bonobos
store checkout was handled through
their consumer e-commerce site on
a standard Apple laptop placed on
a table.
Is this due to a belief that those experi-
ences aren’t relevant? Or reflective
of the difficulty in getting them right?
Or maybe they’re more in tune with
the needs of the Millennial shopper.
(If this is the case, it suggests a bleak
world indeed for stores with large
physical locations.)
On balance, we believe the cause to
be that retailers have only just started
to develop their in-store channels. The
value of the store experience — tactile
engagement, a full 360-degree expe-
rience, and of course a sales force —
makes it a difficult channel to replace
or shut off. In fact, retailers in our study
are seeing more uses in more ways
than ever before: human interaction,
tactile engagement, entertainment, and
fulfillment flexibility (see Figure 21).
Stores remain just a part of the total
retail experience. Great companies are
broadening the aperture of experience.
Made.com, a furniture showroom,
uses digital projectors and store tablets
to merchandise and sell products. In
Palo Alto, California, digital tools offer
wayfinding, voice recognition, and
product information.
FIGURE19
Samsung's pop-up experience at the
Westfield Mall includes multiple VR
demonstrations and a white-glove,
high-quality experience.
FIGURE20

46
Conclusion
Retailers are on the verge. Too few
retailers successfully blend the three
main channels — mobile, e-commerce,
and stores — together in a way that is
optimized for customer experience.
Instead, like many legacy organizations,
retailers have focused on point solutions
and worked within channel silos.
The time for this type of thinking has
passed. Retailers must now consider
a wholesale reimagining of their busi-
ness. To succeed over the next decade,
retailers must fundamentally transform
themselves, touching every area from
organizational structure to the products
and services that they offer.
Our research reveals five main points:
The need for a vision of a future retailer;
the importance of mobile; the opportu-
nities in the pre- and post-visit phases
of the purchase cycle; the importance
of analytics and optimization; and,
finally, the continued, central role of
the physical store.
Jemuel Ripley
Vice President, Global Retail Lead,
SapientNitro New York
jripley@sapient.com
Zachary Jean Paradis
Vice President, Retail Strategy,
zparadis@sapient.com
Hilding Anderson
Director, Research & Insights,
SapientNitro Washington, D.C.
handerson@sapient.com
Nathan Chmielewski
Senior Associate, Research and Insights,
nchmielewski@sapient.com
The brands that succeed in this environ-
ment will be the ones that transition and
evolve quickly enough to get ahead of
the changes in their core business.
About the research
The intent of this survey was to evaluate the full retail experience created by
major U.S., Canadian, and UK retailers. To what extent were they offering an
effective and intertwined customer platform for business in the digital age?
To that end, we conducted unannounced visits to online, mobile, and in-store
properties of ninety-nine U.S., UK, and Canadian retailers. We audited English-
language mobile apps and websites, stores in at least one location, and primarily
flagship stores in London, New York City, Chicago, and Toronto. The research was
conducted over a full year, starting in the second half of 2015 and concluding in
the first half of 2016.
We evaluated three main areas: mobile app effectiveness overall and in-store
(25 percent of the weighting), the store experience (55 percent), and e-commerce
effectiveness (including click and collect, and ratings and reviews) (20 percent) to
determine our top performing brands overall.
We also compared our results to our previous evaluations conducted in 2012 and 2013.

RESEARCH 49
DAVID POOLE
With contributions from Greg Boullin
BANKS, BRANDS,
ANDCONSUMERS:
AVISIONFORMOBILE,
PAYMENT-DRIVEN
CHANGE
Retail banks, financial technology startups, and merchants have all been caught in
a whirlwind of new technology and shifting consumer preferences. Bitcoin. Alipay.
Apple Watch. NFC. Google Wallet. Payment options are changing. And the trends
driving the change in payments are powerful:
Substantial funding: $3 billion+ in venture capital (VC) funding drives a
massive proliferation of startups1
Shifting technologies and their applications: mobile, cloud, artificial
intelligence (AI), software as a service
Evolving consumer behavior: empowered, smartphone-equipped, with
anytime and anywhere expectations
For banking executives, these changes represent a profound transformation, and,
we believe, a profound opportunity.
•
•
•
1
$3.8B in 2015. CB Insights. “Financing to Payments Startups on Track for a Second-Straight Record Year.”
https://www.cbinsights.com/blog/payments-tech-funding-statistics-and-growth/.

RESEARCH50 51
The evolving consumer is perhaps the
biggest single driver for change. This
new, global consumer — connected,
smartwatch-wielding, and always on
— is having a profound impact on the
banking ecosystem. To better under-
stand this new behavior, we surveyed
approximately 500 U.S. smartphone-
using consumers to understand how
frequency, convenience, and security
are playing a role in reshaping the
mobile payment market.
Our research reveals extensive usage
of mobile payments. The survey found
that mobile payment usage continues
to grow year after year, with more than
half of respondents (56 percent) now
using mobile payments. More signifi-
cant, consumers are using mobile
payments more than ever before.
Eighty percent of mobile payment users
engage this technology in-store at least
a few times a month, up from just 36
percent a year earlier.3
This is a global phenomenon. Asia
Pacific is set to lead mobile payment
growth.4
For example, China’s mobile
payment users increased from 216
million to 276 million in the first half of
2015.5
This represents about half of
mobile Internet users in that country.
And according to China Central Bank,
the total value of mobile payments
stood at $4.2 trillion in the second
quarter of 2015 – up 445 percent
(2014 to 2015).6
Chinese mobile payment
users in 20182
of consumers use mobile
payments at least a few
times a month
36% 80%
2015 2016
704million
2
CNBC. “Tencent’s Charges for WeChat Pay Users Kick in Amid Fight for Mobile Payment Market Share.” http://www.cnbc.com/2016/03/01/tencents-charges-for-wechat-pay-users-
kick-in-amid-fight-for-mobile-payment-marketshare.html.
3
SapientNitro. Informing The Mobile Banking Experience with Behavioral Data. February, 2016. http://www.sapientnitro.com/en-us.html#perspective/insights/insights-articles/inform-
ing-the-mobile-banking-experience-with-behavioral-data.
4
yStats.com. “Mobile Payments Continue to Grow Worldwide.” https://www.ystats.com/mobile-payments-continue-to-grow-worldwide/.
5
yStats.com. “Security Remains the Main Concern of Global Mobile Payment Users.” https://www.ystats.com/ystats-com-security-remains-the-main-concern-of-global-mobile-payment-
users/.
6
China Internet Watch. “China Mobile Payment Reached $4.19 Trillion, up by 445% in Q2 2015.” http://www.chinainternetwatch.com/14808/mobile-payment-q2-2015/.
7
yStats.com. “Infographic: Global Mobile Payment Methods: First Half of 2015.” https://www.ystats.com/infographic-global-mobile-payment-methods-first-half-2015/.
In Europe, Italy (with 27 percent) leads
in mobile payment users, while Spain
and France are tied for second (with 17
percent). Germany and the UK stand in
third place at 15 percent.7
According to our research, banks
– with higher consumer trust (43
percent) than any other player in the
ecosystem – hold strong potential
for growth and leadership. Despite
the proliferation of payment startups,
most transactions still run through the
traditional bank networks of Automated
Clearing House, wire, and cards –
thereby directly compensating banks in
the process.
To avoid being sidestepped by novel
players (e.g., technology startups)
entering this lucrative space, banks will
need to take several steps. They must:
Partner more closely with retailers
and technology companies who offer
direct payments.
Develop unified payments, integrated
reward and loyalty programs, per-
sonalized offers, and even GPS and
in-venue navigation, all in a single
and compelling payment experience.
Place the customer in the center
when designing user experiences
and be more agile in order to
better engage new generations
of payment customers.
•
•
•
8
The study data was collected in February 2016 and February 2015. See “About the survey” on page 61.
9
Among respondents who say that they’ve used mobile payments. The survey had 498 respondents, of which 56% (276) reported using mobile payments. Only those who have
used mobile payments could answer the question around how often they used their smartphones for in-store payments. N = 276.
1
Section 1
Today’s consumers use mobile
payments more frequently
As was noted in the introduction,
mobile payment usage has increased
significantly. Among the 56 percent
who now use mobile payments, in-store
adoption jumped from 36 percent to
80 percent from 2015 to 2016 – a
growth that is most likely linked to
increasing feasibility, access, and
comfort (see Figure 1).
More important, the percentage of
people who rarely use mobile payments
in physical stores decreased drastically.
The figure, which stood at 49 percent
only a year before, dropped to just 6
percent in 2016.
RESEARCH FINDINGS:
HOW CONSUMERS ARE
USING MOBILE PAYMENTS
In early 2016, we surveyed nearly 500 smartphone users in the U.S. to under-
stand the evolving usage of mobile payments.8
We also looked at secondary
data from markets in Europe and Asia Pacific to see how similar findings
varied in other regions.
Among respondents who say that they’ve used mobile payments, we saw a large
increase in usage – from 36 percent to 80 percent (for those who use it “a few
times a month” or more). The percentage of respondents who “rarely” use mobile
payments, on the other hand, dropped to just 6 percent.
FIGURE01
Q: How often would you say that you currently use your mobile phone to pay for
things in physical stores?9
50%
45%
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Very
frequently
(daily)
Frequently
(2-3 times
a week)
Occasionally
(a few times
a month)
Seldom
(every few
months)
Rarely
(a few times
a year)
5%
27%
39%
14%
6%
2015
13% 12%
19%
15%
49%
2016

RESEARCH52 53
10
The New York Times. “Why Apple Pay and Other Mobile Wallets Beat Chip Cards.” http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/05/technology/personaltech/in-the-race-to-pay-mobile-wallets-
win.html.
11
ING International Survey. The Rise of Mobile Banking and the Changing Face of Payments in the Digital Age. April 2015. http://www.slideshare.net/ING/ing-mobile-banking-2015-
report.
12
Tencent Penguin Intelligence, as quoted in eMarketer. “Convenience, Promotions Drive Mobile Payments in China.” http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Convenience-Promotions-Drive-
Mobile-Payments-China/1013081.
2Convenience is the key usage driver
According to our survey, convenience
is the number one reason why respon-
dents use mobile payments (see Figure
2). As a new alternative, developers
and merchants must increase the
accessibility and acceptance of mobile
payments if they want to capture those
consumers looking to make the switch
from their traditional cash and credit
methods. This may be more evident in
Convenience was the number one reason to use mobile payments, garnering a
mention from 77% of respondents.
FIGURE02
Q: What motivates you to use mobile payments instead of other forms of pay-
ments, like cash or credit cards?
Convenience
Rewards, discounts,
or promotions
Security
Other (specify)
77%
31%
2%
3Security is the leading barrier
to adoption
While some of our survey respondents
understand that mobile payments have
arguably better security, other consumers
do not. Security is often cited as a
major barrier to mobile payment adop-
tion, and it was the most frequently
cited barrier in our study, followed by
acceptance/availability (see Figure 3).
Global preferences are generally
aligned to what we found in our study,
with Ipsos’ Chinese surveys finding that
more than two-thirds of smartphone us-
ers, including both those who were and
were not using mobile payments, had
security concerns.13
Similarly, TSYS’s
survey of Germany’s smartphone-owning
consumers indicated that security and
fraud protection would attract them to
using mobile payments.14
Mobile payment users prioritize security, with 53% of respondents citing the
importance of this factor.
FIGURE03
Q: Finish this sentence: I will use mobile payments more if...
It is secure
More retailers accept mobile payments
I receive exclusive offers and discounts
All of my payment cards, loyalty cards, and coupons are in one app
My purchase details are kept private
It is easy to use
None of these
It has social features, like being able to share my purchases
53%
43%
40%
36%
34%
31%
8%
3%
13
Ipsos. Ideas: Ipsos in China. Sep, 2014. http://www.ipsos.com.cn/sites/default/files/09.2014EN_1.pdf.
14
TSYS. 2015 German Consumer Mobile Payment Study. http://tsys.com/Assets/TSYS/downloads/rs_2015-german-consumer-mobile-payments(English).pdf.
the U.S. where the – albeit perceived –
slower transaction time of chip cards is
highlighting the convenience of mobile
payment alternatives.10
A secondary
motivation (after convenience) was
rewards, discounts, or promotions.
The U.S. findings are largely mirrored
globally. For example, in Europe, ING
International reported that 50 percent
of consumers use mobile payment
apps because “it’s quicker,” while 42
percent cite ease-of-use as another
driver.11
Similarly, in China, 54 percent
of users who tried mobile payments
did so because of convenience, while
49 percent also cited promotions as
another major reason for use.12
At MasterCard, we are looking at
innovative ways to balance security with
consumer engagement. Selfie Pay does just
that, allowing the consumer to securely
identify themselves for mobile payments.
– Karen Pascoe,
Group Head for Experience Design, Digital
Payments & Labs at MasterCard Worldwide
45%

RESEARCH54 55
4Consumers trust banks more
than retailers
Our survey found trust to be the major
impediment to retailers and technology
companies becoming go-to sources
for mobile payments. Only 1 percent of
15
ING International Survey. The Rise of Mobile Banking and the Changing Face of Payments in the Digital Age. April, 2015. http://www.slideshare.net/ING/ing-mobile-banking-2015-
report.
For retailers and technology companies, trust has proven to be one of the leading barriers to consumers’ acceptance and
usage of their bespoke mobile payment options.
FIGURE04
Q: Who do you trust the most to provide mobile payment services?
43%
14%
11% 10%
6% 5% 4% 3%
2%
1% 1%
16
Vibes. 2016 Mobile Consumer Report. http://www.vibes.com/resources/2016-mobile-consumer-report/.
Section 2
A LOOK AT MOBILE PAYMENTS
IN THE RETAIL EXPERIENCE
Consumers are using mobile payments
more than ever before, but it is helpful
to explore a few examples from retailers
to understand the future (see Figure 5).
The typical retail payment app leaves
much room for improvement. However,
selected retailers have overcome trust
and complexity challenges to deliver
great payment experiences. These
retailers are increasingly offering
rewards integration, valuable in-store
tools (e.g., product reviews and auto-
matic payment method selection), and
post-visit features.
Rewards represent one of the top
drivers for using retail apps – and one
of the top motivators for using mobile
payments (consider revisiting Figure 2).
Therefore, the integration of rewards
programs and mobile payments is
critical. Wallets themselves represent
a powerful marketing platform, with the
“add to wallet” features of mobile ads
making it easy to store personalized
offers — a notion further supported by
the nine-in-ten mobile wallet users who
are likely to save them.16
Future retail payment experiences will
automatically recognize when consum-
ers enter the store, allowing them to
browse peer reviews, shop, wayfind,
connect socially, manage coupons and
rewards, and — of course — pay for
goods and services through bespoke
mobile apps. The device itself will de-
termine the right payment method and
currency, ensure the highest security,
Waitrose supports Apple Pay and also offers rewards/promotions on ten products
of your choosing as part of their “Waitrose: Pick Your Own Offers” app (pictured
on the left). The Starbucks app (pictured on the right) offers mobile ordering and
payments, integrated with rewards. In fact, it is the #1 retailer app for mobile
payments and accounts for 25% of the company’s transactions.
FIGURE05
and stay on top of what each consumer
can afford. Furthermore, consumers
will be rewarded in line with their
preferences and in real time every time
they engage in a transaction — not to
mention having automatically-organized
records of each payment.
Mobile apps play a strong role in the
post-visit consumer experience, as well.
For example, we’re seeing retailers
such as Walmart and Target sustain
significant digital engagement activity
with their Savings Catcher and Cart-
wheel apps, respectively.
respondents cited retailers as the most
trusted, while banks led the pack with
43 percent, followed by alternate pay-
ment service providers (such as PayPal
and Square) (see Figure 4).
This holds true in Europe also. Among
Europeans who have not used a mobile
payments app, 42 percent say the
reason is lack of trust. And banks are
trusted the most by Europeans to offer
mobile payment solutions. In fact, 84
percent of Europeans would trust their
banks the most to offer mobile payments.15
My bank or other
established financial
institutions
Alternate payment
service providers,
like PayPal, Square, etc.
Credit card
providers
It doesn’t matter
who provides the
service as long as I
get what I want
Amazon
No one
Google
Device manufacturers,
like Apple, Samsung,
or Motorola
A mobile phone carrier,
like Verizon, AT&T,
or Sprint
A retailer, like Walmart,
Target, or Starbucks
Other

RESEARCH56 57
1
Section 3
FOUR WAYS THAT BRANDS
CAN PREPARE FOR THE
PAYMENT (R)EVOLUTION
No single brand has solved for every
aspect of the payment experience.
But, as technology and business model
innovation change, bank executives
must develop solutions that prioritize
more real-time, convenient, contextual,
and intelligent functionalities.
The following is a Fantasy Payment Team made up of the best-in-class payment solutions from each category.
FIGURE06
FANTASY PAYMENT TEAM
Social
Venmo
Point of Sale
Square
Wallet
Wallaby
Brand
PayPal
Open API
Visa
Developer
Bank
Danske Bank
Merchant
Starbucks
Empire
Alipay
Compatible
SamsungPay
Messaging
WeChat
E-commerce
Stripe
Inclusive
M-Pesa
Selfie Pay
MasterCard
Transparency
Bitcoin
Anticipate needs and provide
contextual experiences
YESTERDAY
Reactive and generic financial advice
was provided to customers based on
preconfigured spending thresholds
(e.g., a low balance alert).
TODAY
Personalized financial guidance and
product offerings focus on disinter-
mediating core financial activities by
being better, faster, and cheaper than
traditional banks (e.g., investments
focused on robo-advisors, tax and fee
harvesting, and peer-to-peer lending).
TOMORROW
Financial experiences will leverage
artificial intelligence to learn customer
needs, adapt over time, and provide
proactive personalized shortcuts
that help maximize customers’ lives
in real time.
Banks can learn from leaders in each
category, and integrate those features
that matter the most to their customers
in a way that’s true to their brands (see
Figure 6).
Here we highlight four key trends from
across the board.
In early 2014, Amazon patented “an-
ticipatory shipping” — shipping goods
to a warehouse before consumers buy
them.17
Google continues to invest in
its predictive “Now” technology. While
using data and algorithms to better
serve customers is nothing new, the
field of predictive analytics represents
a potential holy grail for the businesses
and brands that crack the code on pre-
dicting what customers actually want
before they know it themselves. Proac-
tively serving up payment experiences
that help steward customers to make
smarter decisions in real time would
represent a valuable concierge service.
Indeed, triggering contextual experi-
ences based on where and who people
are, and what and how they are doing,
will elevate the value that payment
solutions can provide. For example,
contextual mobile intelligence can be
leveraged to automatically send restau-
rant recommendations and promotional
offers to customers visiting new cities.
The largest opportunity is for brands to
target a behavior we call “down-timing,”
when customers transition between
experiences, whether “captive” on a
bus or simply unwinding at the airport.
This could involve serving up welcome
reminders to complete financial tasks
and make the most of “dead” travel time,
triggered as a location-based service.
17
Forbes. “Why Amazon’s Anticipatory Shipping is Pure Genius.” http://www.forbes.com/sites/onmarket-
ing/2014/01/28/why-amazons-anticipatory-shipping-is-pure-genius/#6d5bf9c42fac.

RESEARCH58 59
2 3Move faster and be nimbler
with payment investments
YESTERDAY
A multistep, payment process that was
hard to complete on mobile.
TODAY
A mobile-first, app-based approach that
is more social.
TOMORROW
An invisible user interface that will
be facilitated by voice payments or
seamless integration with third-party
apps or sites to enable contextual
payments (e.g., Pinterest's “buy now”
button or Facebook's “buy” feature on
the News Feed.)
22
Forbes. “Kik Battles Facebook with Bots in the New Messaging Wars.” http://www.forbes.com/sites/parmyolson/2016/02/10/kik-bots-messaging-facebook-
wechat/#52923d8c2571.
23
Andreessen Horowitz. “When One App Rules Them All: The Case of WeChat and Mobile in China.” http://a16z.com/2015/08/06/wechat-china-mobile-first/.
Join the conversation
YESTERDAY
Physical banking and trusting an
advisor (more than a secure AI bot)
to make payments on your behalf.
TODAY
The emergence of cashless payments,
with Apple and Android Pay identifying
the best card for each transaction
(like the Wallaby app does based on
rewards, fees, interest rates, and other
financial data), and integrating coupons
and loyalty programs into a unified
wallet (as Walmart has done).
TOMORROW
Messaging platforms (like Facebook
Messenger) delivered through voice
interfaces (like Amazon Alexa and Viv)
that consumers trust enough to make
payment transactions on their behalf.
Voice payments could combine two
steps, serving as both the interface and
the method of authentication with the
security of voice biometrics.
What if, instead of investing all that time
and energy in persuading customers
to download your app, you could have
an instantaneous, seamless, and per-
sonalized way to engage them in con-
versation? With over 2.1 billion active
users on messaging apps like Facebook
Messenger, Line, and WeChat, the
promise of a conversational user inter-
face is already here.22
Indeed, Facebook has just launched
“M” – its bold answer to Siri and
Cortana – that augments its AI algorithm
with actual people to provide your very
own conversational personal assistant.23
WeChat, on the other hand, is the
pioneer of messaging payments with at
least one-in-five active users already set
up for WeChat payments. In fact, it’s
growing so quickly that WeChat is now
experimenting with offline payments, bill
payments, the splitting of bills, shopping,
wealth management, and Bitcoin trans-
fers — all through the messaging app.
As messaging platforms threaten to
become the new “operating system”
— the one app to rule them all — other
payment providers need to quickly
decide how they will partner, compete,
or integrate these new (and inevitably
dominant) payment distribution channels.
THE HALO OF APPLE PAY
18
European Commission. “Payment Services Directive: Frequently Asked Questions.” http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-15-5793_en.htm?locale=en.
19
Over 1,100 banks have partnered with Apple Pay in the U.S. as of March 2016. Apple. “Apple Pay Participating Banks and Store Cards.” https://support.apple.com/en-us/
HT204916.
20
L2 INC. Retail Innovations: Mobile Payments. January, 2016. https://www.l2inc.com/research/retail-innovations-mobile-payments.
21
Apple. “Apple Pay.” https://developer.apple.com/apple-pay/.
Fueled by venture capital investment,
payment apps today are better, faster,
and cheaper than generic white label
payment solutions.
For example, banks must make
payments easier with fewer steps and
less attention required. Potential tactics
include biometric authentication (e.g.,
fingerprint, voice, or facial), conver-
sational interfaces like chat bots and
natural language recognition, and
predicting needs through machine
learning and saved preferences to
automate decisions and make
better recommendations.
Lastly, we expect more payments
innovation spurred by recent regulatory
changes in Europe like the Payments
Services Directive (PSD2) and the
global banking trend toward open
payment application programming
interfaces (APIs). Both make it easier
for banks to collaborate with nimble
fintechs and merchants.18
58
Banks in the U.S. jumped on board with
Apple Pay.19
User experiences on the
iPhone, the Apple Watch, and in-app are
elegant and easy. Banks partnering with
Apple benefited from the halo effect of
being associated with a beloved lifestyle
brand, and one that conveyed innovation.
The challenge with Apple’s closed sys-
tem, however, is the lack of merchant
acceptance, with just 23% of big box
merchants accepting payments as of
January, 2016.20
While the list of mer-
chants and apps is growing, consumers
cannot practically rely on the iPhone
for all payments. Banks in China may
see even more challenges with Apple
Pay, given how much further along their
market is in mobile payments.
With Apple Pay available in the Safari
browser across devices in September
2016, Apple will compete directly with
PayPal when the consumer checks
out online, with the added security of
authentication using the nearby iPhone
Touch ID. Apple’s closed system makes
it at best one more option, rather than
a PayPal replacement working across
browsers. In contrast, Apple’s effort
to open up Messages to external deve-
lopers like Square promises to make
payments within the Apple ecosystem
increasingly viable.21
The other leading consideration for
consumers is the store rewards card —
with Walgreens being the first to fully
integrate Apple Pay — so that when
they pay, consumers have the peace
of mind that they are rewarded.

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