Why It's Always Groundhog Day for Retail & Ecommerce

Is the future of everything commerce going to be like Target? Or is it Groundhog day for retail? 

If you haven't seen - Target in Australia is one of the casualties of ecommerce - or wait, did they actually have a "real" digital ecommerce capability? Sure, Wesfarmers, the parent company also have KMart and Catch (full ecommerce) in their portfolio... but why isn't retail sustainable? What's wrong with retail, or similarly, what's wrong with digital? Why are they operating in silos?

All I can think is... Wow - #wheresDigital? #ShouldaWouldaCouldaGoneDigital a massive disconnect/chasm between online & offline offerings.

Retail doesn't know ecommerce and ecommerce doesn't know retail, is quite painfully obvious. 

The retail sector has obviously been hurting for awhile, yet being digital-enabled is not fully implemented nor even understood it would seem. There were also a number of other Australian retailers in January that all hit the ropes - 

Harris Scarfe

McWilliams Wine

EB Games

Bardot

Curious Planet (Australian Geographic)

JeansWest

Surprisingly, most of these companies didn't have a solid digital foundation - poor community, no integration, and little actual thought towards the needs and abilities of their audience (take a look at my initial analysis with their digital ecosystems if you'd like to take a deeper look at why these companies have suffered or even failed)

“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth”

It's hard to think straight, plan, and 'fight' effectively when you’re scared, angry, full of adrenaline, and likely hurting. It's not about the "tricks and tactics" that are not fully understood, and would be very hard to pull off when your eyes are swelling up, your balance is wavering and your heart is pounding.

We have the car yet we don't even use the keys, nor in some cases, we don't even know how to drive.

It's 2020, actually. 

We have the toolbox, but we don't know how to use the tools.

This is where all businesses, regardless of size need to fully enable and engage digital. It's not just a website, that's just a simple token today - it's an entire ecosystem and assets that need to be developed. Realistically, and optimistically, most businesses are only at about 30% digital "enabled".

Where are you?

Why don't all retailers all have ecommerce integrations, click and collect and 'uber'-ish delivery methods? It's all available right now. 

What about subscriptions and audience experiences for service-based businesses? 

Being able to offer "on-demand" anytime/anyplace, digital delivery (across service, ecomm & retail), creating remarkable experiences, and value creation that surprises and delights are the new fundamentals of business in the disruptive digital economy. And more importantly, how are you combining and integrating a seamless digital experience to connect products to sell, with services and experiences?

Think #HelloFresh meets #UberEats meets #JamieOliver.

Here's what I mean:

Sell your customers pre-organised meal kits for their perfect meal, with just the right ingredients, that they select from a well-curated list of dishes, which are then shipped on the day, or a specific day, ready for your customer to have an amazing cooking class and dining experience for themselves or with their guests. And, all while being instructed or shown what to do and how to do it with a professional chef and real-time group cooking class that you watch from your kitchen, while preparing your food.

Or, with a digital-enabled-and-maximised business - #OnDemand delivery meets #ValueCreation meets #RemarkableExperience.

And no, you don't have to be Jamie Oliver to create this.

Yes it can also be used in every other industry as well. Retail can quickly be ecommerce enabled, with click and collect services, subscriptions and instant delivery, just like food - and delivered within 1 hour anywhere. Then, the experience continues with learning how to use it or what to make of it, with you, the retailer, walking your customer through all of the iterations of your product and into their life through livestreaming, live sessions, online training and everything else needed to fully experience and share your products.

We can all build this as a business model.

And, what if you could deliver all of these elements, simultaneously?

One-two-three punch.

What are you working on?

If you're in retail, this journey today is your #digitalexpedition - yet surprisingly, most of what is needed to get you to 80% digital-enabled, yet, you could do it in 72 hours.

If you're a service-based business, this is also your journey today, your own #digitalexpedition. The same rules apply.

I'll ask again, what are you working on to secure your certainty?

I would love to know what is most important for you, now, and what you are working on:

1. On-demand & digital delivery - anytime/anyplace
2. Value creation that surprises & delights
3. Creating remarkable digital experiences worth remembering

What's really super exciting? We can all do this, now.

We don't need to wait for something else to be invented. It's already there, waiting for you; it's now about the #digitalexpedition that you create to actually get there.

And lets all help stop doing the same thing every single day.

Your future depends on it. Your future is digital.