Mitch Joel is founder of Six Pixels Group, a consulting firm that focuses on brands, consumers, technology, business and the connections between them. Ahead of his session at NRF 2021: Retail’s Big Show – Chapter 1, a virtual event in January, Joel joined the Retail Gets Real podcast to share a glimpse at his vision of the digitized shopper of the future.
He believes the current moment has forced even the smallest retailer to innovate in order to survive. With such widespread changes in place, consumer habits — and business tactics — are going to be hard to reverse: Perks such as free pickup or delivery and other added-value offerings are going to be around indefinitely. Subscription models, digital innovation or shifts to a focus on local advertising are becoming widely adopted, even as we return from lockdown.
Joel says we’re also seeing an expansion of the concept that physical retail is traditionally about shopping, not buying. Bricks-and-mortar retailers are learning how to make the in-store experience more of a buying experience, while online retailers are innovating around video and chat, learning how to create more of a shopping experience. The retailers that succeed will successfully blend shopping and buying experiences.
Listen to the full episode to learn more about how retailers are rethinking many commonly held beliefs about what works in commerce today.
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