Retail Shopping Framework

Consumers have changed the way they shop and purchase and retailers must react and adjust to these consumer changes now in a manner that understands this is only the beginning and a new framework is required to support omni market retail simultaneously across all channels.  Consumers are not going to wait for retailers to catch up to their demands because these consumers have the ability and imagination to use the social networking tools at hand in combination with search and purchasing tools to support their demands. Retailers now must develop a shopping framework that provides the integration and flexibility to support the increasing velocity of change along with the tools and practices to sense and respond to these changes.  Velocity and flexibility are the guidewords of today and there is no time to hesitate while the changes continue in waves across the industry.

The natural tendency of retailers to follow the lead of others is no longer supportable because the velocity of change has quickened to such a pace that there is no time to follow the lead of others.  On the other hand it is no longer viable for retailers to go it alone, they must collaborate with other retailers and the partners that support their retail omni market needs. Collaboration is the new key to success in this marketplace and all partners supporting the market must engage and collaborate to meet the consumer needs in the most efficient manner for all partners across the supply chain.  Amazon started a revolution in the retail market and the echos are spreading across the marketplace in waves of disruption. Many retailers now have recognized they must change and they are starting to make course corrections and acquisitions to react and support the changing consumer demands.

The introduction and capabilities social network practices in the retail marketplace have driven the change and especially the velocity of these changes.  Consumers are formidable collaborators and embrace the capabilities and practices to improve their shopping and purchasing practices. These are the changes that are driving the market disruption and there is no hint that consumers will slow in their drive for improvements and change.  It is no longer necessary for consumers to wait for their demands to be met by retailers. Consumers are using the mobile tools and network capabilities now to create their own shopping frameworks and retailers must recognize that they must engage and support this framework in order to survive.

Consumers will not wait for retailers to catch up and the statistics of retailers unable to react to the changing marketplace are piling up.  Retailers must accept these changes and engage to integrate into the retail shopping framework utilized by consumers to support their shopping and purchasing.

And now for the audience participation portion of the show…

ECommerce will have wide ranging impacts on both the retail and manufacturing sectors.  How can you focus these abilities to improve the consumer's experience? Improving the consumer’s experience will require a re-evaluation of the sales channels, the manufacturing channels and practices and the supply chain channels and practices from the raw materials to the consumers’ homes.  In order to ensure and maintain success in this new reality you must harness the tools and capabilities in many new areas. How can you support these continuously changing requirements?