Canadian Retailer - The Technology & e-Commerce Issue - 16

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

where they'll get the highest return on
their investment, comparing people with
robotic technology. The answer some
are arriving at is that it might be better
to invest in a robotic warehouse that
improves efficiency by 40 per cent.
That's one of the dilemmas that the
industry faces today. Ultimately what will
happen is that the jobs within the retail
environment that require people to push
buttons and count units, to look up skus,
to remember a little bit of rote product
knowledge, will fade away over time.
People serving within those functions
will soon be seen as the blacksmiths of
their era. There just won't be that kind of
work anymore. Technology will take over
that aspect of retail service. But, companies are still going to need frontline brand
ambassadors-people that genuinely
love the products that they sell and are
passionate about talking to people about
the products. They'll require true enthusiasts who are dynamic and outgoing to
raise the in-store customer experience to
levels never before seen. And that's not
a $10.25/hour employee. The people who
will be ambassadors for their brands are
going to command a higher wage because
they are going to drive a higher level of
value. There may soon be fewer people
working in the industry. But the jobs will
be more meaningful and rewarding.
DJB: When it comes to the customer
experience, there are so many channels
today for customers to interact with brands
on. How do retailers create a great experience
across channels?
DS: The problem a lot of retailers face today with
respect to the customer experience that they offer
on their available channels is in the way they
look at their operations. They see the business
growing online, or that their online business is
going mobile, and therefore tend to put the emphasis on digital and take their focus off of their
physical assets. Instead, retailers need to look at
their operations holistically. There are elements
of the store that are unique to that channel. They
should be celebrated and leveraged. It's the same
for mobile, online and social. They need to design
the experience around the unique attributes of
the given channel. As an example, a digital retail

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CANADIAN RETAILER

| THE TECHNOLOGY & E-COMMERCE ISSUE

experience doesn't equate to the integration of
a bunch of touchscreens into the physical store.
Consumers are tethered to technology all day.
The last thing they will want to do when they
walk into a physical retail store is be presented
with another screen that they're supposed to
use to find information and an experience. The
physical retail store is where consumers want to
try things and do things. It's meant to be fun and
exciting, sensorial and immersive.
DJB: Considering all of the disruptors that we've
already discussed, what do you think the retail
headlines are going to be in 2018?
DS: We're going to see a slowdown in the consumer economy. The Bank of Canada is attempting to regulate the amount of consumption that's

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Canadian Retailer - The Technology & e-Commerce Issue