1) MARKET POSITIONING GETS SHARPER
As the consumer base fragments in the wake of middle class erosion, migration and the emergence of new consumer trends, more retailers will move out of the mid-market space to sharpen their positioning. With shopper missions increasingly swinging between affordable and experiential, moving across online and offline channels and involving a variety of new customer touchpoints, retailers will address the increasingly complex path of purchase with a flexible range of loyalty-building engagement initiatives and upgraded brand identities.
Now what will it take to win?
- Diversified product portfolios and brand extensions to address the needs of different ethnic and income demographics
- Insight into retailer priorities to enable supportive brand strategies
- Data sharing with retailer clients to spot trends early on and drive rapid response product development
- Flexible supply chains to support retailer positionings around channel, availability and fulfillment
2) ECOMMERCE TURNS TO STORES
As the channel landscape undergoes tectonic shifts and channel borders become insignificant, grocery retailers will rapidly build online-to-offline capabilities to maximize customer reach and service flexibility. Ecommerce players lacking store networks will seek associations with both modern and independent retailers to establish a complementary physical presence in an omnichannel world.
Now what will it take to win?
- Flexible supply chains to support accelerating and increasingly complex fulfillment options
- Real-time inventory visibility to ensure product availability in rapid fulfillment
- Cross-channel brand strategies building brand loyalty in-store that fuels conversion online
- Partnering with online platforms to drive visibility in associated independent stores to win in emerging markets
3) RETAIL IS PART OF AN ECOSYSTEM
As consumers shift spending priorities from products to experiences, retailers will defend their share of wallet by offering more services. Their resulting ecosystems will be fueled by real-time shopper data, enabled by smartphone proliferation, ultra-fast internet and AI-based data analytics, leading to more personalization and speed in the detection of, and response to, new demand.
Now what will it take to win?
- Understanding ecosystem details with each retailer to align brand strategy to relevant touchpoints
- Data sharing agreements and analytics capabilities enabling brands to leverage real-time shopper data for new product development
- Early engagement in new initiatives to drive brand relevance via strong support
- Smart manufacturing to enable niche group targeting and personalization based on granular shopper insight
