Ted Hurlbut

BrainTrust Query: The Customer is Wired...Are You?

February 22, 2010

FROM RETAILWIRE:
There's an impending "parting of the seas" taking place with respect to the nature of in-store experiences as we move into the future...an ever widening gap between "fully automated" experiences on one side and "fully animated" experiences on the other. What minimum level of technology do small and medium sized retailers need to present an "animated" experience?      [more...]

These points all make sense on a broad perspective, but for any specific independent retailer, the real question is who the customer is and what their needs are. Every independent retailer is different, and the vast range of products, services, customers and experiences defies any summarization.

The very best independent retailers have an acute awareness of their positioning within their markets, who their customers are, and how best to reach them. Technologically, they are not out in front of them, nor behind them, but right there with them.