Retail Collaborative Practices

Most retailers have developed and maintained collaborative partnerships for many years to support their business needs and provide extended services and capabilities.  This has served both sides of the collaborative partnership very well over the years in a mutually beneficial relationship. Like so many other aspects of the retail marketplace I believe the collaborative practices behind much of the retail marketplace are also changing quite dramatically.  These collaborative practices are changing from one on one partnerships to a cross partner collaborative relationship that shares benefits across many partners and more importantly delivers benefits to all participants while focusing on the benefits of the entire chain rather than a peer-to-peer relationship.  The relationship is loosely coupled rather than direct partnerships that benefit the entire network rather than any peer-to-peer partnership.

Retail collaboration is must change to meet the demands of consumers and other participants in the marketplace in a manner that is similar to social networks and networking where the relationship and participation changes based on the requirements and demands of the moment.  These demands and opportunities will continuously expand and change as participants expand and change. This colloborative networking will include equally all participant in the marketplace including consumers, retailers, transportation, manufacturers and value added service providers.  These collaborative networking practices and participants will benefit a great deal from the changes and improvements in technology to expand reach and communications. The nature of the collaborative network itself will change, expanding and contracting, with the changes in participants and their use of technology.

You cannot get away from technology in this new retail marketplace supported by the collaborative network.  The market demands reduced friction and increase connectivity and capabilities in a manner that only enhanced technology can support.  The retail marketplace is obviously no stranger to technology and this symbiotic relationship with customers and other participants in the retail market can only be enhanced through the growth and expansion of collaborative networks and enhanced technology capabilities.   

These are exciting and intimidating times that we are living through and progressing to a new world that promised tremendous opportunities for the retailers with enormous danger from not accepting the challenge.  Unfortunately I do not believe that retailers have choice in this new world because quite frankly, not participating in the collaborative network practices means that the retailer will simply whither and die. There is simply no way that retailers, at least retailers outside of small niche retailers, can survive if they do not embrace the social network.  Consumers are driving these changes through their embrace of technology and the promise of technology and these consumers are not turning back from the changes.

Retailers can succeed in these practices simply by embracing the concept and starting, it does not matter if they start small, in fact I would recommend starting small with an open mind that embraces the opportunity.  Simply participating in the collaborative network will encourage the retailer to embrace the technology and develop the practices and capabilities that allow them to participate in their own speed and level of comfort.  This is a journey and the end is not planned or foreseen and in fact it changes with the participants and the demands. Retailers must start though and there is no better time to start than the present.