The rise of e-commerce is driving investment in digital transformation across retail organisations, but new research reveals which technologies and innovations businesses are most interested in.

Released this week, Adobe’s Digital Trends in Retail Report found that experience management, omnichannel marketing and content are among the top priorities for retailers in 2018, with more than half of respondents indicating that each of these areas is a top-three priority.

In the case of omnichannel marketing, 25 per cent of all retailers surveyed say this is their number one priority for the year ahead.

However, when asking retailers which factors will be most important for their digital marketing efforts over the next few years, “understanding how mobile users purchase” has slipped down the pecking order from the top spot in 2017.

This is surprising, given the rapid growth of mobile shopping in recent years.

The digital capability retailers are most interested in is delivering customised shopping experiences to customers in real time, which 37 per cent of respondents said they are excited about.

But while there is significant potential for artificial intelligence (AI) to play a major role here, investment in digital skills is being neglected, as only 29 per cent plan to invest significantly in digital skills and education this year.

Additionally, just 17 per cent of respondents cite the use of AI as the most exciting prospect over the medium term.

This story first appeared on sister site Internet Retailing.