So how did retail do in 2015? Here are my top take-aways for the year.
Why Won’t Retailers Talk Up Tech Solutions?
In the vendor world, there is a perennial problem: retailers don’t want to go on the record as owning or in any way endorsing vendors. This is particularly a problem for small vendors who don’t have a large client base. It’s something of a catch-22 because retailers in those situations often claim that the solutions are so valuable they want to enjoy a window of exclusivity and differentiation that they can use against their competition.
Is Your Customer Data Valuable Or Is It A Banana?
We humans have 50% of our DNA in common with bananas? I don’t remember where I first stumbled across this little factoid, but it was, as it was probably designed to be, just wacky enough to catch my attention. As far as advancing scientific knowledge, does it do much more ? I don’t think so. This little factoid is interesting, but not valuable.
At The Intersection Of Business And IT, A New Crossroad: Software AG’s Innovation World Conference
Retailers have been struggling with the idea that they need to shift away from being product-centric, to being more customer-centric. It’s a hard shift to take. Retail used to be defined by the products a company sold. No one cared who bought them, so long as “merchant princes” decided which products were the right ones […]
Why Bringing Digital Into Stores Won’t Work And How To Prevent That Outcome
Right before the Labor Day weekend, I caught this article on Ad Age, a motherhood and flying cars piece about how digital will magically transform the store experience, and even better, how digital agencies will be the leaders in making this transformation happen.
Reports Of The Demise Of The Omni-Channel Shopper Are Premature
In RSR’s most recent benchmark on retailers’ omni-channel strategies, my colleagues Brian and Paula found the percent of retailers who report that their cross-channel shoppers are their most profitable shoppers is on the decline. Here’s the chart for easy reference: Source: Omni-Channel 2015: Taking Time, Money, Commitment And Technology, September 2015 I’ve seen this […]
Drunk On Starbucks?
Last Friday I had the occasion to stop by Starbucks during their Starbucks Evenings time, which the company has started rolling out to 70+ locations across Orlando, Denver, Miami, northern California, and New York City. There are very few moves that retailers can legitimately make that take them into adjacent spaces with their existing brands, but I have to say, this seems to be one of them. Here’s what I saw.
History of Omni-Channel Part 7: When Demand Breaks
This is part 7 of an on-going series on the history of omni-channel. Part 1 addressed the point when customer centricity and “cross-channel” (the early days of omni-channel) first merged and became the foundation of what most people mean when they say omni-channel today. Part 2 talked about the tipping point of executive awareness, when […]
Jet.com’s Imminent Take-Off
By the time you read this, jet.com will have been open for business to the public for several hours now, and reviews will undoubtedly be pouring in. Hopefully consumers will view the site more favorably than Amazon’s #PrimeDayFail – though this does perhaps explain the timing, if not the execution of Amazon’s promotional day.
Who Owns The Customer Profile In Retail?
In my travels during this year’s spring conference season, it occurred to me that there is an even more fundamental question on the table: who owns the customer profile? Because it seems to me that the system side of this question could be just as important to answer as the organizational side.
