Digital Style

Summary

Shaping seamless experience. As we enter a new decade, the retail environment is more challenging than ever, particularly for those with brick-and-mortar stores. In the UK, total retail sales are relatively stagnant, and even declining in some sectors. At the same time, consumers are increasingly demanding when it comes to their retail experience and evermore focussed on ethical and sustainability issues. The good news is that global retail sales continue to grow and are predicted to rise to around US$30 trillion by 2023, up from around US$23 trillion in 2017.ii It’s a huge market out there. One vital nut to crack is that of online sales, which now make up over 20% of total retail sales in the UK.iii Within that, every retailer needs to take into account the continuing growth of mobile browsing and purchasing. Globally the level of mobile e-retail orders is on a par with desktop devices, but in terms of overall retail website visits, smartphones are now the primary device.iv Together, these facts point to a range of issues that all retailers need to address, which were discussed at the Commerce Futures Digital Style 2020 conference in London. Ultimately, how do you attract – and keep – busy customers who see you as one brand across all your channels and expect you, in return, to treat them as individual customers, no matter how and when they interact with you?