Description
Book SynopsisThe modern retail system has worked to dazzling effect. From the 19th century, store owners emerged from small beginnings to set in train an industry that has seen some operators become nationally, even globally, dominant. Along the way, they turned retailing into an art, and then a science.
Table of ContentsForeword vii
Introduction 1
1 A Brief History of Retailing 7
The mercantile era 11
The modern era 13
The digital era 22
2 Technology: The Crucial Retail Enabler 27
How retailers add value 30
Connecting the chain 33
Knowing what you know 39
A succession of evolutions 43
3 Game-Changing Technologies 47
Revolution 50
The next era of technology change 57
What it means for consumers 86
4 Consumer Empowerment 91
The consumer decision journey 94
Customer empowerment tools 95
Retailers’ response to consumers’ changing behavior 103
5 Toward a New Retailing Paradigm 113
The changing role of the physical store 116
New contenders 128
The power of information productivity 135
6 The Future of Retail 143
Stand-alone archetypes 146
Building on the stand-alone models 155
7 A Call to Action 165
Leapfrogging 169
The way forward 170
Making it happen 181
Acknowledgments 191
About the Authors 193
Index 195
