Seven in 10 retailers will be investing in Internet of Things technologies as a way to improve customer experience, according to the newly released 2017 Retail Vision Study from Zebra Technologies.

The report claims nearly 70 percent of retail decision markets are ready to adopt IoT and 65 percent plan to invest in automation technologies for inventory management and planogram compliance within four year.

"The continued rise of online shopping will challenge retailers to provide unprecedented levels of convenience to help drive customer loyalty. By 2021, nearly 80 percent of retailers will be able to customize the store visit for customers as a majority of them will know when a specific customer is in the store. This will be enabled through technology such as micro-locationing allowing retailers to capture more data, accuracy and customer insights," states a release on the report.

"Every inch of the retail industry is changing, from the aisles of the warehouse to the shelves of the store, and retailers are driving this change in a race to better serve customers," Jeff Schmitz, SVP and CMO of Zebra, said in a statement.