04 Jan All Eyes Ahead: Looking Forward to Retail 2017
It will be a few weeks before we know how things shook out for Holiday 2016, but industry experts already know what trends to anticipate for the coming year. Some are fun. Some require a tech investment. But they’re all predicated on meeting the customer’s needs as quickly and seamlessly as possible.
Jesse Tron, head of corporate communications and research for The Dealey Group, a Dallas-based advertising and marketing agency, says that while online sales continue to grow, the government data is sure to show that the vast number of sales occur in physical stores.
“Experience is the most important thing in stores. And mobile is most important from the digital perspective,” Tron says. “Finding out how to marry the two to optimize all channels will be the difference between the winners and losers. Omnichannel is an obsolete buzzword, even though we’re not totally there with it yet. But the stores that do really well will reach consumers any time and at any moment. Consumers really are king—they want what they want, when and where they want it. That’s different from a retail perspective but the ones meeting that challenge will continue to win market share.”