This is a fascinating look back into the history of retail technology at the turn of the century. In January 2000, I was the National Practice Manager of Microsoft’s first retail consulting practice. I joined Microsoft in June of 1999 as one of their first retail industry experts. I gave this presentation, my first at the company, to a room full of retail executives and Microsoft partners. They were skeptical of using our solutions for mission-critical applications. It was my job to convince them otherwise.
Retail’s facing a massive transformation that will change how food retailers grow, consolidate, and defend their market position for decades to come. There’s so much opportunity in being a customer-adaptive retailer. And perhaps the most important advantage is the ability to establish a personal relationship with customers based on trust, choice, and perceived value, not store presence.
This webinar series explores the new world of Customer Adaptive Retail which is the transformation beyond Omnichannel Retailing. We’ll discuss the key pillars required for success, the importance of customer-centricity, and how retailers can embark on this exciting journey toward hyper-personalization and increased customer lifetime value.
The customer adaptive transition will be difficult for most retailers as it involves more than just adopting and assimilating new technology via digital transformation. Success in this business model requires a customer-centric culture, and it’s a daunting challenge.
In 1995 I had a vision of retail’s future that was so clear that I took bold risks to ensure I was part of shaping its future. I discovered the internet and instantly knew that nothing in retail would ever be the same. I was going to build one of the retail industry’s first web stores.
In 1995 as a retail CIO, I had a vision that the internet would revolutionize the retail industry forever and I wanted to be a part of it. I took a risk, invested tens of thousands of unsanctioned dollars in a stealth project that my board associated with a “fad.” This is my story.
Retail’s glory days may be gone, but customer trust is as critical to retail today as it was back then for creating compelling personalized customer experiences. And now it’s possible for retailers at scale.
Customer Adaptive Retailing is the transformation beyond omnichannel to a single, adaptive focus on the customer, requiring retailers to transition from thinking in terms of multiple shopping channels to focusing on the CUSTOMER as the channel and wrapping every aspect of their business around each customer at every touchpoint.
Customer personalization at scale is possible for the first time in history as the convergence of powerful technologies, digitally mature customers, and an ever-expanding customer data pool has created retail’s “Perfect Storm.
An excellent deep dive into how the 63-year old global grocery and retail giant Carrefour is transforming their business to laser focus on the customer to create hyper-personalized customer experiences on the SAP platform.