The biggest mistake I see in store technology implementations is a “build it and they will come” mentality. Or one that is overly focused on driving sales. Don’t get me wrong – the main objective of in-store activity should be to drive sales. The store is where 90% of sales are transacted, and anything that takes focus away from that risks jeopardizing a business model that is already stressed.
Retailers Weigh In On The State Of The Digital/Physical Union
With the proliferation of digital channels in retail, we recently took on the task of understanding how retailers view the state of the union. How do retailers, themselves, currently view the challenges, opportunities, roadblocks and technology enablers associated with how they support commerce across all of their consumer touchpoints – both physical and digital?
Retail Still Moves More Slowly Than Needed
A fascinating walk down memory lane. Granted, we “only” are talking about newsletter articles written over the past five years: since 2011, but five years is a long time in consumer IT years.
Here are some “flashbacks” that really could be published as new articles today.
Digital Channels And The Problems Ahead
I examined some data about how retailers have two main operational problems with their eCommerce operations: getting varying channels to work together, and optimizing the ways inventory is deployed across these channels. The gist of the article? Everything else pales in comparison.
What’s In The Way Of Better eCommerce?
We’ve seen interest in a major platform refresh, the introduction of mobile and social as eCommerce considerations, as well as convergence — where retailers increasingly view mobile and other non-commerce online activities in the context of their overall digital strategy, with their eCommerce platform as the centerpiece.
RBTE 2016: Focus On Employee Empowerment
One of the most enjoyable aspects of attending the Retail Business Technology Event in London (which completed its fifth successful year of operation in March) is that it’s so easy to see in real life what it being talked about at the event. London is a hotbed of very competitive retail shops. The city remains one of the world’s top performers when it comes to retail sales, and the UK overall ranks among the top countries in Internet sales (#1 in 2013). So if you want to see what is happening in Retail, there is no better place to look than London.
History of Omni-Channel: The Future
It’s been fun writing this series on the History of Omni-Channel. However, I’ve run out of history, so it’s time to start looking to the future.
Mobile’s Road Ahead: Yikes
So as I pointed out last week: we have a real problem. Retailers of all sizes and stripes still maintain that the ability to check prices is job one, and consumers disagree. But let’s say (for argument’s sake) we get past that issue sometime soon. Imagine retailers and consumers get on the same page about what a mobile device should really be used for. Then what?
Coming To Terms With Retail Planning
Retail planning is a hot topic throughout the industry right now. The burning issue that brings this core capability front-and-center is that demand comes from more than one place: from the stores, the call center, and from the digital space. Matching that demand to supply in a way that is satisfying to consumers is more difficult, as consumers demand more and more cross-channel fulfillment options. The final kick in the shins of the traditional planning cycle is that consumers are more selective and less loyal, and have easy access to information about competitive offers available anytime and anywhere. That means that retailers must react more quickly to shifts in demand than they have had to in the past.
Are Retailers Finally Getting Serious About Servicing Plus Size Women?
Long-time readers will remember that I’ve bemoaned the state of the plus-sized clothing industry for many years. And those of you who’ve met me will know why. I’m a customer. And I’m not alone. Current estimates of the percentage of the female population larger than size 12 are up to 60%.
That’s a lot of money being left on the table.
