In today’s rapidly evolving retail landscape, specialty retailers face a unique set of challenges and opportunities. While the apparel sector has long been a proving ground for omnichannel innovation, verticals such as jewelry, sports, and gaming are now at the forefront of redefining what seamless, customer-centric retail truly means. Publicis Sapient’s work across these sectors demonstrates that omnichannel transformation is not a one-size-fits-all journey—it’s a tailored approach that addresses the distinct needs, expectations, and operational realities of each specialty retail category.
Consumers now expect to interact with brands on their own terms—whether browsing online, shopping in-store, or engaging through mobile and social channels. For specialty retailers, the challenge is to deliver a unified, personalized experience across every touchpoint, while managing the complexities of high-value inventory, agile fulfillment, and community-driven commerce. Publicis Sapient partners with leading brands to unlock this transformation, leveraging deep industry expertise and a proven methodology to deliver measurable business impact.
Jewelry retail is defined by high-value inventory, the need for trust, and a demand for personalized service. A global jewelry brand, with a presence in over 100 countries, recognized the imperative to deliver a consistent, high-quality experience regardless of where or how customers shopped. Publicis Sapient partnered with this brand to overhaul its order management system, addressing pain points such as manual processes, limited inventory reconciliation, and outdated customer service tools.
Key transformation initiatives included:
The results were immediate: operational improvements, increased inventory accuracy, and the ability to launch new e-commerce services that delighted customers and strengthened brand loyalty. By leveraging advanced analytics and intelligent order routing, the brand reduced delivery times, minimized shipping costs, and maintained tight control over high-value inventory—a critical differentiator in the jewelry sector.
Sports and recreation retailers operate in a highly competitive, fast-moving environment where customer expectations for speed, flexibility, and fulfillment options are paramount. One major U.S. sports retailer partnered with Publicis Sapient to modernize its commerce platform and processes, enabling new digital offerings such as buy online, pick up in store (BOPIS) and streamlined online ordering.
Transformation highlights included:
The impact was significant: order processing became 170% faster during peak periods, with no site downtime. Improved system integration across inventory, order management, and fulfillment enabled seamless customer experiences, while the cloud-based platform ensured ongoing scalability and disaster recovery. These capabilities are now table stakes for sports retailers seeking to lead in omnichannel agility.
The gaming retail sector is undergoing a dramatic evolution, driven by digital distribution, streaming, and the rise of social gaming. Facing intense competition from digital disruptors, one top gaming retailer partnered with Publicis Sapient to reinvent its business as a true omnichannel ecosystem.
Key elements of the transformation included:
The results were striking: an 800% year-over-year revenue increase, a dramatic rise in customer satisfaction, and the rapid release of new products and services. The retailer’s shift to customer-focused product development and agile delivery enabled it to continuously innovate and capture new revenue streams, setting a new standard for community-driven commerce in gaming.
Across jewelry, sports, and gaming, several common themes emerge as critical to omnichannel transformation:
Publicis Sapient’s SPEED methodology—Strategy, Product, Experience, Engineering, and Data & AI—ensures that every transformation is holistic, outcome-driven, and tailored to the realities of specialty retail.
With a track record of delivering measurable results for leading specialty retailers, Publicis Sapient is uniquely positioned to help brands modernize, innovate, and lead. Our end-to-end partnership model, deep industry knowledge, and commitment to continuous improvement empower clients to:
Ready to transform your specialty retail business? Connect with Publicis Sapient’s experts to discover how we can help you deliver the experiences your customers expect—now and in the future.