retail

The folks at Deloitte recently released, The Next Evolution: Store 3.0, a report on the readiness of retailers for the store of tomorrow. Although the report offers a somewhat limited and biased perspective since it is based on a survey of only 39 current retail executives, it raises some important questions about the requirements of the future store.

brand as business bit:  There’s been a lot of reporting on the rankings from Interbrand’s Best Retail Brands 2012 report – but I’ve been spending more time on the consultancy’s commentary that’s sprinkled throughout the report. The comments have made me aware of the tensions that now define retail:

Once upon a time, Wi-Fi was a novelty in coffee shops. It was an unexpected bonus that we encountered when patronizing certain Starbucks or some other forward-looking establishments.]

But what was once a delight if found has become a disappointment if not found, or not working, or not free. Now any self-respecting coffee shop wouldn’t be caught without free Wi-Fi.

I did this interview last year in Denmark while I was there for NEXT and thought that I would share it. We covered a lot of ground, including retail trends; what's working in retail and what the future of retail might be. Probably the first time I spoke about the role of history and legacy in creating retail experiences, something I still continue to formulate. Have a watch and let me know what you think.

(Here’s my latest “brand experience brief” — insights and analysis of new and interesting restaurant and retail concepts.)

(Here’s the latest “brand experience brief” — insights from my audits of new and interesting retail and restaurant concepts.)