retail

Marvellous. Fantastic. Terrific.

I thought I was in a minority of one, as somebody who gets frustrated at the waste of time when the supermarket I shop at decides that for my benefit it is going to change the layout. I muse to myself that some silly sod in their HQ has latched onto the latest theory of retail layout and is thinks that by putting the milk where the dishwasher tablets once were it is going to make my life easier.

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.)