Web-to-store will become the norm
It’s impossible to imagine what retailing will be like over the next ten months without mentioning web-to-store This is because the three key conditions for generalizing the process have finally materialized! First of all, consumers are asking for it. Mobility is now a fact of life and has become resolutely cross-channel: it mixes Internet with the brick-and-mortar store for purchasing and/or finding out information. And the combination of physical entities and digital means is precisely the core of web-to-store. According to the latest Mappy/BVA barometer, 43% of Web users have already taken advantage of this service, and 85% plan to do so in the future! Next, in the name of “dual awareness,” a growing number of retailers are learning to appreciate what web-to-store really means. They have come to realize that implementing this service is both an undeniable competitive advantage and a significant economic driver. This is shown by the latest Fevad report, where 58% of store owners noted that this system led to an increase in turnover on physical sales in stores.

Finally, technology is up to the challenge. Today, distributors have access to tools that give them a precise, real-time view of available stocks in the store and in the warehouse and from suppliers. Because knowledge of stocks is thorough and up-to-date, web-to-store access is no longer for the behemoths of distribution only.

The curtain falls on Big Data in retail
Long in fashion, Big Data is no longer a favorite with retailers. The reason? Most certainly the realization that accumulating data without using it quickly becomes a sterile operation. So, we no longer talk about Big Data, but merely…data! It’s a way to leave marketing hype behind and return to the concrete customer relationship and sales, because the question that worries retailers is the following: “How can I digest all my data in a way that will make decisions easier, enrich the customer experience and improve my responsiveness?” The answer to this question is pending because data science experts, who are described by the Harvard Business Review as the “sexiest” professionals of the twenty-first century, are increasingly rare.