Omni Market Collaborative Network

The explosion of the omni market on into the retail marketplaces is really more of a slow burn that has finally reached the point of open combustion which translates to market disruption.  This omni market disruption is similar to the supply chain disruption as far as it relates to the impact of the collaborative network on the breadth and depth of the disruption and also in the fact that there is a small number of change agents across these networks that have driven the capabilities that have driven the disruption.  The collaborative network though provides the framework to support and encourage the disruption through increased speed of open communication and collaboration across partners. Again though, and especially in the retail market place, there are leaders and followers in the growth and expansion of the network that in turn is driving the expansion and growth of the network and ensuing capabilities.

The collaborative network though provides the framework for this disruption driven by the omni market and this collaborative network provides the framework and the capabilities to connect to other collaborative networks like the supply chain network to allow the two networks to work together in a social network framework.  This social network framework allows the partners in the networks to easily and efficiently connect and collaborate across the each of the extended networks in a type of organic networking that encourages and supports new connections and relationships as they are identified and realized. These relationship networks are the key to the growth and continued change capabilities that has become the norm in these marketplaces.

I think that Amazon probably best portrays the type of practices and capabilities that demonstrates the capabilities and the strengths of the collaborative network across all partners.  Amazon has pioneered the type of collaborative interaction with partners and develop new capabilities and changed the retail marketplace to pioneer omni market practices and capabilities.   Amazon has continued to expand their capabilities through the collaborative partnership network and this extends from the supply chain through the collaboration and partnership with small retail partners in a mutually beneficial collaborative partnership that allows both Amazon and their small retail partners to support market demands.  This example of the type of capabilities possible through the collaborative network should be reason enough for other retailers to expand their participation.

Retailers should use these developments and resulting growth in the omni market to justify the expense and the practices that will allow them to plug into the omni market collaborative network to engage and support the omni market demands.  This is really not an optional or nice to have capability, this is really cost of doing business and the importance is growing in leaps and bounds. The large legacy retailers have focused on the operational capabilities necessary to support the omni channel marketplace and now must expand their focus into the collaborative network capabilities to support the omni market demands.  The strength and a key benefit to these collaborative network capabilities is that the large legacy retailers already have an entrance and experience with this type of network through their supply chain network