Brian Solis delivered the keynote address at the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) 2020 CenterBuild Conference. His presentation, “The Future of Retail and Real Estate Isn’t What It Used to Be,” was well-received and is online now. When ICSC was founded in 1957, the retail industry was a veritable juggernaut even surging forward beyond the initial wave of Amazon and e-commerce in the 90s. Then over time, the relationship between consumers and digital, social media, real-time, and mobile slowly,…
Can AI Save the Retail Industry?
Over the years, I’ve studied retail innovation and also retail stagnation. Among the white hot trends propelling retail startups and giving legacy brands hope are artificial intelligence (AI), computer vision, Internet of Things (IoT), connected sensors and good old fashioned ingenuity. My friend Macy Bayern of TechRepublic recently wrote about the role AI is specifically playing in retail innovation. Her resulting article features insights from industry experts and innovators. I also wanted to share our unabridged conversation with you here……
Evolving customer behavior gives retailers insight into innovation priorities
“Innovation starts with understanding who people are becoming, because in there are the insights into how they shop and why.” – Brian Solis, principal analyst at Altimeter Group Not too long ago, I had the opportunity to present my vision for retail innovation and shopper experience at “The Summit” hosted by AT&T in Dallas. Following the event, the AT&T Editorial Team, published a written summary and also a video highlight reel of my talk. I wanted to share them with…
Is Retail Dying or is it Time for a Renaissance?
Guest post from Michel Lewis (@BizMike), founder of RoomSignal and long-time friend of Brian. Retail is dead. Heard that phrase before? For the last decade we have watched as digital companies like Amazon & Netflix received much of the credit, for putting brands like Borders and Blockbuster out to pasture. Poor stock performances and gloomy headlines about the death of retail only fuel reports about the demise of brick & mortar stores. For many retail brands like Nordstrom and Target,…
Top 11 Trends Shaping the Future of Retail
I took this picture in 2016 at Hillsdale Mall in San Mateo, California. This used to be a Sears department store. While Sears is still alive and kicking, it’s sad to see so many once celebrated brands slowly deteriorate and/or then suddenly crumble. I call this the new “Kodak Moment,” that moment when executives fail to see how customers and markets are shifting. All too often, there appears to be a pervasive “too big to fail,” shareholder-first attitude during what amounts to…
E-Commerce and Apps Pave the Way To The Future of Retail: Inside Amazon Go, A New Retail Experience
We’re a company of builders. Of pioneers. It’s our job to make bold bets, and we get our energy from inventing on behalf of customers. Here are just some of the innovations pioneered by Amazon, and we’re always looking for the next one. – Amazon Every industry is ripe for disruption. It’s what you do now that defines your future and legacy. One of the most exposed industries to disruption at the moment, among many, is the retail sector. From…
The Rise of Social Commerce
500 million Facebook denizens are plotting their social graphs. 145 million Twitter users Tweet and ReTweet. 3 million people are checking-in on FourSquare. Brands are flocking to social networks, some with strategies and others simply experimenting with community building. What’s clear is that the 3F’s (friends, fans, and followers) are not created equal. Those brands who examine the composition of their existing community will find that many are simply seeking access to exclusive specials and content. According to a recent…
