Page 53 - December 2020 January 2021

Since online shopping became a reality, retail has become advertising and even TV shows is likely to become an increasingly
increasingly digital and internet-driven. Bricks and mortar stores prominent part of the retail landscape throughout 2021.
have adopted elements of the online experience to encourage Personal shopping at scale – Well-heeled shoppers are
us to continue visiting them, and also played to the strengths used to receiving personal attention when shopping at high-
that in-person experiences can offer, such as more personal end stores, and personalising their high-value purchases such
levels of service explains Bernard Marr, Forbes Contributor in as cars, bespoke clothing, and jewellery. However, technology
his article ‘The 5 Biggest Retail Trends in 2021’. These trends are: is now ushering in a new age of mass-personalization, allowing
Omni-channel – Offline is online, online is offline – this to be carried out at scale across a growing range of goods
This involves the coming together of different trends, including and services.
AI, robotics, IoT, and extended reality (XR) – which includes
virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR). The STore STill MaTTerS
AI increasingly customer-facing across the retail It’s difficult to overstate the collective effect that the Covid-19
industry – With so many of us stuck at home and retailers pandemic has had on retail. Mass closures, wary consumers,
unable to find new customers by enticing us to walk into their stay-ay-home orders and social distancing – the pandemic
stores, more resources will be focused on growing customer landed right at the heart of the industry.
numbers with AI marketing outreach. This is used to work out Despite this, PWC’s ‘Emerging Trends in Real Estate 2021
whether their best customers are likely to be spending their – United States | Canada’, in conjunction with Urban Land
time on Facebook, Netflix, or taking part in Zoom calls, and Institute (ULI) suggests that even in a new normal, the retail
assigning advertising budgets accordingly. store still matters and still has a place. Whilst it is true that the
Autonomous Deliveries and Fulfilment – With the retail property sector must right-size and reinvent, and even
pandemic-driven changes that are taking place, it is likely to see with the many challenges that Covid-19 poses for consumers
ideas such as self-driving delivery vehicles and drone delivery and retailers, people still purchase the majority of their retail
really coming to life. Over the next year, autonomous delivery products and services in stores, and some current set-backs will
initiatives are likely to remain focused on “last mile” solutions, prove to be only temporary once it is safe to shop, socialise
employing self-driving vehicles and airborne drones for trips and recreate. The old saying that “change brings opportunity”
between fulfilment centres and consumers’ homes. has never been more apt in the current global economic
See it, like it, buy it! – Forget shop both online and offline circumstances as retailers from around the world adjust to the
– purchases directly from manufacturers through influencers, new normal that 2020 has created.

DECEMBER 2020 / JANUARY 2021 RETAIL & LEISURE INTERNATIONAL 53