Canadian Retailer - Fall 2015 - 4

publisher's desk

crafting an
omni-channel
retail experience
welcome to to our fall issue,

this year focussing on e-commerce, omni-channel retailing
and all things online retail!
I was recently reflecting back
to the late days of the 1990's
.com frenzy-the predictions
by many media pundits and
wayward strategists that retailers would be "dis-intermediated" and shopping malls would not survive. It was the age of "land grabs"
and "first mover advantage".
But through it all savvy merchants realized that the land underneath
their feet was among the most valuable brand assets they had-not a
burden to be managed out of existence, but rather a critical element
of sustainable competitive advantage to be developed into part of a
holistic customer shopping experience that would become known as
"omni-channel"
I don't know how long "omni-channel" will remain the big buzzword
it is today. However, I am confident that retailers will maintain their
relentless focus on the customer-how he or she browses, shops and
transacts-regardless of media, method or mix, as critical elements to
success. Ultimately, crafting a retail experience that takes into consideration place, value, convenience, assortment, compelling and interesting products, and just great products at the right price at the right
time-is the winning formula that drives the art and science of retail.
These are truly interesting times in the Canadian e-commerce landscape. While the Canadian retail industry has been seen by some as
behind global online retail trends, innovative retailers are quickly narrowing the gap. Inside these pages you'll hear their stories and hopefully pick up more than a few insights to make your retail enterprise-
either virtual, on main street or across the country-more successful.
We're here to help with thought leadership and resources such as the
landmark RCC e-commerce benchmark survey (conducted in partnership with Forrester Research). And we're also here to listen-and tell
your story so that the Canadian retail e-commerce industry thrives
and takes its place anchoring a strong and vibrant sector of the Canadian retail economy.
Sincerely,

Diane J. Brisebois
President and CEO
Retail Council of Canada

canadian retailer | FALL 2015

FALL 2015 | voLUme 25 issUe 5

publisher

Diane J. Brisebois
a s s o c i at e p u b l i s h e r

michael LeBlanc

editor-in- chief

sean c. tarry
(416) 922-6678, ext. 286
starry@retailcouncil.org
art direction

scope media
www.scopemedia.ca
contributors

talbot Boggs, Jim Davidson, Andrew
hind, David mcpherson, robert price
d i r e c t o r o f p u b l i c at i o n s

Angela caroyannis
acaroyannis@naylor.com
project manager

Kim Davies
kdavies@naylor.com
sales manager

Bill mcDougall
bmcdougall@naylor.com
editorial office

1881 Yonge Street, Suite 800
Toronto, Ontario M4S 3C4
Phone: (416) 922-6678 | Fax: (416) 922-8011
www.retailcouncil.org
a d v e r t i s i n g/ p r o d u c t i o n o f f i c e

Naylor (canada) inc.
300 - 1630 Ness Avenue,
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3J 3X1
Phone: (800) 665-2456 | Fax: (800) 709-5551
www.naylor.com
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Retailer do not necessarily reflect those of Retail
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Canadian Retailer - Fall 2015