The number of UK shoppers using so-called click & collect - picking up orders in store - is poised to more than double by 2017. Currently, 35 percent of online shoppers in the UK buy online and self-collect, compared to 13 percent in the U.S. and 5 percent in Germany, according to research from Planet Retail.

Some of the largest U.S. and U.K. retailers are slow to adapt their store operations to changing consumer buying habits, according to a study by SD Retail Consulting, a retail advisory firm and unit of Hilco Trading, LLC. Surprisingly, the study found that 80 percent of retailers surveyed are not effectively training their in-store staff to accommodate the complex needs of the new multichannel shopper. The study surveyed Retail Operations Leaders from 35 leading retailers including Department Store, Specialty Retail, Big Box, Grocery and Convenience Store chains, mostly with revenues of over $1bn (50 percent of which are publicly traded).