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This statistic depicts the leading 10 hardlines and leisure goods retailers worldwide in 2010, based on retail sales. In that year, Home Depot was the world's leading hardlines and leisure goods retailer with about 68 billion U.S. dollars worth of sales.

Global retailers

In this digital age, it seems remarkable that brick-and-mortar retailers have displayed such staying power when it comes to pushing goods through the consumer pipeline. Home Depot, Best Buy and Lowe's remained secure in the top three spots in the hardlines and leisure goods sector due to their sheer size.

The retail industry is in the midst of a customer revolution. The collision of the virtual and physical worlds is fundamentally changing consumers' purchasing behaviors. Consumers are seeking an integrated shopping experience across all channels and expect retailers to deliver this experience. The key drivers of this customer revolution are the rapid adoption of mobile devices, digital media and tablets equipped with shopping apps. In fact, the number of smartphones sold to end users worldwide in 2012 was nearly 675 million units.

The retail paradigm has shifted from a physical connection point with customers to a multi-pronged approach that crosses both physical and digital channels. The traditional bricks-and-mortar retail store is no longer the dominant medium for purchasing goods. Instead, it serves as one of many potential connection points between customers and a retailer's brand.

Today's consumer is increasingly connected to both the physical and digital space and able to interact with retailers through multiple channels simultaneously. To stay competitive in this ever-evolving landscape, it is imperative for retailers to deliver a seamless customer experience across all channels and provide the right services and products at the right time.