1. If something can be done online, do it offline, and vice versa. Which advantages of the online experience can be recreated in the physical world? What does a real-world abandoned cart email look like, for example? How can we better show reviews in store for social validation? And what elements of physical stores would we like to see replicated online, through virtual reality or telepresence?
2. Optimize the Internet of Things. If IoT devices are to be endowed with the power to place orders on behalf of their human owners, retailers need to think seriously about how to best partner with, and optimize for, those devices. Catering to the algorithmic decision-making in these smart devices will be key for retailers in the near future.
3. Incorporate sustainability. Supply chains are a good place to start, and then think as widely as possible. Are the company’s products or services used among sharing networks? Design your ideal scenario for such use, making sure to include some aspect of on-demand production or supply, and see what could be usable now. Finally, think creatively about future audiences, their use of new technologies and how your brand could use partnerships for improved provision.
4. Deliver on delivery. The technologies are still a long way from widespread adoption, but drones, 3D printing and local computer numerically controlled (CNC) machining hubs are all likely to seriously affect how we think about delivery networks in the near future. With 3D printing in particular, there is the bonus opportunity for customers to personalize their item before manufacturing. How could you reposition delivery from being a number-crunching logistical challenge to a creative opportunity for an enhanced product experience?
5. Don’t forget the shop. However much the actual retail transaction moves online, the store will always retain a critical role for retailers. This is the place. The place where customers can come to experience the essence of a brand – the products, the design and architecture, the people, the music, the smells, the energy. All these ingredients go to create an intangible impression in a customer’s mind, which has been so important to merchants for centuries. And witness the raft of online ‘pure-plays’, including the mighty Amazon, now seeking out a physical, main-street presence. The shape, design, location and experience may change over time but the importance of a retail place will not diminish.