04 EDITOR’SCOMMENT
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IT becomes a driving force As the last issue of this year, I’d like to wish
readers tidings of good hope and joy. But I fear my wishes may fall on deaf ears at the close of what has been one of the toughest years in modern times for retail. Over successive recent years, it could be
argued the retailer’s mantra has been that “things can only get better”. But, this year, I sense a shift in attitudes as many are bracing themselves for a double-dip recession and preparing for the worst in 2012.
Despite record levels e-commerce traffi c
and slight footfall increases on the High Street, the affect of deep discounting and early sales to encourage shoppers to spend is likely to have affected margins for the worse, during the season where many retailers make most of their annual revenue.
I agree with Emmanuel Hembert, principal in the retail practice of A.T. Kearney, who recently predicted that the UK High Street faces a moment of truth. “2011 has been a terrible year for retailers,” he summed up recently. “Consumer spending is contracting and bankruptcies are increasing (including major retail names). “Year-on-year volume forecasts are all but
fl at. Online retail is taking market share from the High Street – indeed, almost 20% consumers intend to shop online this year, according to eDigitalResearch. In this context, it is inevitable that further casualties are to come. An early indicator that the High Street is preparing for tough trading conditions lies in the fact that retail jobs have not yet picked up as they usually do, a hint that temporary hiring for Christmas time has been muted this year,” Hembert added. It can be hard to fi nd the silver lining within the cloud that is the global economy hanging over consumers’ heads and constraining spending. But the eagerly awaited and government sponsored review of the British High Street by retail expert, Mary Portas at the end of the year should have brought some cause for hope. However, and I’m not the only tech watcher
to have observed this, Portas’s review was distinctly lacking when it came to the role of e- commerce in cannibalising traditional store sales and how technology overall has the power to change the rules on the High Street. While its 28 recommendations included
Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations 7,092 Jan 10 – Dec 10
ISSN No 1359-0146
some very good suggestions around the creation of management teams, a reassessment of local business rates and a landlords’ register, Portas failed to recognise that the balance in retailing
had not tipped away from the High Street by accident. It has been driven by the customer embracing technology for the convenience and choice it offers. I would argue the retailers that recognise the changing consumer landscape and the impact of technology within these changes can unlock the same value around automation, effi ciency and analysis that consumers already take for granted on their PCs, tablets and smartphones. The clever retailers are embracing tech
savvy consumers on the High Street and joining up online and store experiences via mobile technology, like Oasis and its instore iPad roll out (page 6) or a number of retailers that have signed up to free Wi-Fi instore recently. Others, like Tesco (page 10) and John Lewis (page 23), are reorganising supply chain processes to embrace the changing dynamic between the High Street and other channels, rather than trying to push back the tide of progress and consumer demand. As usual, Retail Technology is dedicated to highlighting examples of where IT is being used by retailers to bridge and narrow the emerging gaps between online and offl ine retail channels. This issue takes a closer look at how hospitality and behind-the-scenes IT systems for track and trace, warehousing and back offi ce functions can help realise savings as well as support business growth, in spite of the straitened times. Hopefully the examples set by the retailers
featured will give you renewed inspiration and hope for a Merry Christmas and both a peaceful and prosperous New Year.
Miya Knights Editor
mknights@bpl-business.com
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