At this year’s Retail Technology Show, one message came through loud and clear from the panel featuring Holland & Barrett, River Island and Pharmacy2U: Customer strategies only drive market share and profit if they’re aligned.

I couldn’t agree more.

It’s easy to talk about being customer-centric, but delivering on that promise, day in and day out, is where many retailers get stuck. Whether it’s aligning in-store experiences with digital campaigns, or simply fulfilling an order on time and in full, the gap between strategy and execution is often where trust is lost.

The panel rightly pointed out that successful strategies require more than clever marketing. They need technology, store teams, commercial teams AND operations, all moving together. That’s exactly where a true Order Management System (OMS) comes in.

At Hardis, we often say: “Deliver what you promise. Promise what you can deliver.”
That’s not just a tagline, it’s the operational reality a modern OMS enables.

From real-time inventory visibility to smart fulfilment routing, a true OMS like OIL doesn’t just process orders, it connects your entire retail operation. It’s the invisible thread that weaves together data, products, and processes across all your channels, so customers get a consistent, reliable experience, whether they’re in-store, online, or somewhere in between.

Pharmacy2U shared a brilliant example where the experience of buying a TV post-surgery felt seamless, personal, and deeply human. That’s the bar. And you don’t reach it with good intentions alone, you need the infrastructure to back it up.

For me, that’s what made this panel so refreshing: it wasn’t about shiny tech or vanity metrics. It was about aligning your systems and teams to serve your customers better, in ways that build loyalty, not just conversion.

And in 2025, that’s what true retail leadership looks like.