Mobile phones, mobile applications, sensors, beacons, connected objects, and analytics are transforming not only the way in which consumers shop but also how manufacturers and retailers determine what to sell, and when, where, or how to sell it. The use of these technologies, which is rocking the retail sector, raises important legal issues for developers, owners, and operators of retail projects. This article focuses on legal and compliance issues raised by this paradigm shift.

New Shopping Experience

The stores that win today's race to attract customers tend to be those that have invested resources in merging the online, mobile, and physical store experiences to develop a new ecosystem that connects physical and digital worlds. This multichannel strategy seeks to provide consumers with a seamless shopping experience, both online and in a brick and mortar store.

In a digital world, effective retailing combines the use of physical, Web, or mobile app stores. In brick and mortar stores, retailers increasingly rely on digital capabilities that could, for example, recognize a returning visitor and serve up data about that visitor's purchase history to help sales associates deliver high-touch service. New forms of telemarketing may involve artificial intelligence, for example through the use of intelligent sales assistants.