In the video, “Preparing For The New Normal In Retail,” made in 2009, Jon Stine of Cisco projects several eCommerce developments that have already turned true, such as:
* Personal technology as the new driver of retail
* Smartphone as game changer -- smartphones can go anywhere with the consumer, including into your store, and will contain your competitors’ information
* Half the shoppers will carry mobile devices by 2012
* eCommerce will experience double digit annual growth rates
* Social networking comes together to create 56 different consumer interactions with a retail brand before making the purchase
* Personal video as an incredible tool for sharing instant knowledge -- or creating a PR nightmare if consumer unhappy.
Stine said these transitions would overlap and intercept -- crossing boundaries -- with the boundaries themselves disappearing completely in a few years.
Most of the projections have turned out by now. Maybe they were obvious. In the video's conclusion, Stine says, “It’s a new world, a new normal, the rules are changing, it’s not going back to what it was,” and admonishes retailers to... “Get ahead of the smartphone wave; start your digital strategy and start it now.”
