Retail

  Spend enough time around retail executives and you start noticing a pattern. Ask them how their last technology rollout went and most will give you some version of the same answer: "It went okay. Took longer than we expected. Cost more than we budgeted. But we got there." Then they change the subject. That's not a success story. That's damage control dressed up as one. The dirty truth about retail technology — whether you're talking about ecommerce platforms, POS systems, or personalization software — is that most Retail solution implementation underperform. Not because the tools are bad. Because the thinking around them is thin. Companies spend months evaluating vendors and weeks negotiating contracts, then hand the whole thing off to an implementation team that's juggling four other projects and hope for the best. This is exactly where retail strategy consultant earns its keep. And it's exactly where most retailers realize too late that they needed h...

  Most retail owners I've spoken to over the years have strong opinions about what's wrong with their business. The footfall is down. Online sales aren't converting. Staff turnover is killing consistency. But when you ask them what their actual plan is to fix any of it — the room goes quiet. Not because they don't care. They care enormously. It's because nobody ever taught them what a real retail strategy looks like, and the people selling them software or services have a vested interest in keeping that definition fuzzy. So let's make it clear. And let's talk about where consulting fits in — because that's another area where retailers get burned regularly, often by paying good money for advice they either can't use or were never going to act on. A Business Goal Is Not a Strategy — And That Confusion Costs Real Money Here's something that took me a while to understand properly. A goal is "we want 30% more online revenue next year." A st...

  With the retail sector reshaping and changing, the expectations of the customers, digitalization and competitive landscape are bolstering this evolution. Competition has shifted from products, prices, to customer experience. They need to offer smooth customer experiences, smooth operations and adaptability to the changing trends. Retailers need to develop the plan they can follow to achieve these goals, and connect the business goals with the technology investments. Implementing a clear retail technology strategy enables companies to determine the tools, systems and processes they need to enable sustainable growth. The retailers can develop a technology roadmap to boost customer engagement, optimize operations and enhance overall business performance – not piecemeal. Additionally, strategic planning helps minimize risk of investing in solutions that aren't in line with organizational objectives. When it comes to retail transformation, there's no shortage of expertise. When m...