Download Shopify’s Future of Commerce report for sound predictions from commerce leaders and business forecasts that will impact 2022 and beyond.
Farid Mheir's insight:
WHY IT MATTERS: wow! not often do I stumble upon a trend report that actually has valuable insights, trends and recommendations. And not too biased towards Shopify!
I pulled one chart on the importance of customer service but there are many more. Must read for anyone serious about eCommerce, big or small.
Sometimes the centre of gravity in tech is very clear, but as we enter 2022 there are lots of areas where trillion dollar questions are wide open. These are the questions I wonder about today, from crypto to cars to fast fashion - there are others.
Farid Mheir's insight:
WHY IT MATTERS: this list of technology questions for 2022 feels like an answer to the question "what is digital disruption?".
We have reached a moment in time where old technologies - eCommerce or videoconferencing for example - are finally breaking into established industries. And the impact, at scale, cannot be found in technology but rather in every single industry it disrupts.
There’s an old saying that the first fifty years of the car industry were about creating car companies and working out what cars should look like, and the second fifty years were about what happened once everyone had a car - they were about McDonalds and Walmart, suburbs and the remaking of the world around the car, for good and of course bad. The innovation in cars became everything around the car. One could suggest the same today about smartphones - now the innovation comes from everything else that happens around them.
Farid Mheir's insight:
WHY IT MATTERS: this post is a bit theoretical for someone not bathing in digital transformation all day as I do (mostly). It explores what could come next but more importantly stresses an important fact: we now have a new platform - the mobile phone - in our pockets that has the potential to transform our world. We have started to see this with eCommerce - physical retail stores become irrelevant and we can price compare from anywhere - but we have yet to see the real impact of eCommerce+mobile+cloud+5G. THIS is what I think about most days...
The retail industry is rewriting the laws of physics. Change is coming at an ever faster rate each year and 2030 will be upon us before we know it. Explore the world in 2030 and the future of retail 2030.
Farid Mheir's insight:
WHY IT MATTERS: the report is not available for free but the 42 slide summary is a great overview of key trends that are presented with observations and outcome.
“We chose right from the very start to not hide the technology,” Hanrahan explained.
Farid Mheir's insight:
WHY IT MATTERS: when I ask about what the "store of the future" looks like I often get descriptions of a robot-filled location with huge displays and computer kiosks. In fact the trend is to HIDE the technology to make the store experience more and more about what you had when you visited the general store of the past. Walk in and speak to an employee that is very knowledgeable about you, your needs and the products they have to sell. The only difference is that this knowledge comes from AI, cameras, sensors, and all kind of technologies that support and enhance the retail employee to make you believe they know you and their products. THAT is the magic of the store of the future. Get used to it.
A superb case study for the way Industry 4.0 is impacting the retail sector. Great for use in the study of technological impacts as part of a PESTLE analysis looking at a business' macro operating environment.
This artefact explores Walmart's new technology and its aims to improve the customer shopping experience. Named the 'Intelligent Retail Lab, or 'IRL' for short, this utilises Artificial Intelligence (AI) to track inventory availability and compare to upcoming promotional demand. In brief, it ensures that customers can confirm that their desired item is in stock prior to visiting the store via the app. Walmart is exploiting AI for competitive advantage, aiming to improve customers' perception of reliability and overall experience. However, the article doesn’t actually mention the words ‘competitive advantage’, which will necessitate students adopting critical thinking skills to evaluate where the advantage occurs and justify why. Within the unit, this artefact will be utilised as a stimulus item for students to discuss competitive advantage through embedding it as a link to Flip Grid. Flip Grid is an amazing website and app that allows a teacher to create a closed community topic where students respond to set discussion questions through posting authentic videos explaining their answer. Students will first view the artefact, reading through Walmart’s new Artificial Intelligence technology and then read the related questions displayed on Flip Grid. Students will then respond to each question through Flip Grid’s unique video features to respond to the questions in the topic through recording videos of themselves answering these designated questions. The learning is transformed as students will utilise the higher order cognitive verbs of evaluation and justification when viewing this article to answer a number of questions on competitive advantage within this scenario. These questions and the article are embedded within Flip Grid, allowing the task to be redefined, engaging students.
Retailers at the Future Stores event in Seattle had a lot to say about where they thought the future of the store is headed. Here are some of the top takeaways.
Farid Mheir's insight:
WHY IT MATTERS: I read and research this topic *a lot* and find this summary is capturing some of the key issues retailers face today in their digital transformation. Must read.
The Artificial Intelligence Revolution isn’t around the corner—it’s here. A common remark is that as soon as some new form of AI is possible, it’s no longer AI, it’s just what computers “do”. And while we won’t notice most of AI’s effects in our world, there will be visible signs as digital technology is infused with AI. Through the lens of commerce, it’s easier to see AI’s deep effects as progress continues. Here are a few examples.
Farid Mheir's insight:
Very proud to share an article I recently co-authored on CloudRaker blog with Simon Hudson. It sheds lights into the potential impacts that AI will have on retail stores.
A motion graphic showing how Amazon’s new shopping experience Amazon Go will work. Simply scan in, take what you want and “Go”.
Farid Mheir's insight:
Below are some articles that describe AmazonGO technology in more detail, including a video animation. As you can see, we know very little and everyone is guessing at this time based on patent filing and an article from a consultant now hired by Amazon.
Ecommerce research, latest blog posts and training. Includes case studies, recommended reports, buyer's guides and supplier search.
Farid Mheir's insight:
A great blog on different elements regarding eCommerce, from strategies to solutions and statistics. Here, one post that identifies the issues that prevent ecommerce deployment.
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WHY IT MATTERS: wow! not often do I stumble upon a trend report that actually has valuable insights, trends and recommendations. And not too biased towards Shopify!
I pulled one chart on the importance of customer service but there are many more. Must read for anyone serious about eCommerce, big or small.