World Retail Congress: a digital revolution about to come

The physical store remains at the heart of the consumer’s relationship with retail but the retail chains must do more to create the right type of environment for their offer, said Leo Burnett head of retail strategy Alan Treadgold.

Speaking at the World Retail Congress in Berlin this afternoon he told delegates that “writing the obituary for the retail store is very premature” but said that retailers need to do more to identify how and why they appeal to their customers.

Treadgold identified a number of categories by which retailers could measure their reputation with customers, from “price-led” to “all about atmosphere”. He added: “Shoppers organise their view of stores on the experiences they intend to have.”

He also noted that five of the six most highly valued mobile-apps were overtly to enable multichannel shopping and he warned: “It is now mandatory, for example, that if a customer buys online, they can return in-store. The store must deliver what online can’t.”