BEC高级文章精选：2017年零售业的四大趋势

BEC高级阅读文章精选：2017年零售业的四大趋势（未来零售业制订策略不容忽视的四大驱动力）

导读：2017年全球零售业贸易总额预计达22万亿美元，向上增涨的势态非常强劲。阿里巴巴光根节一天交易额180亿美元、美国双11电子商务日期间，从感恩节开始当天交易额就超过了10亿美元。销量的突飞猛进也意味着市场更加拥挤，消费者通过对比价格及用户体验货比三家，因为全球竞争目前已成为新常态，总是会有竞争者愿提供可比性强的体验。在当今环境下，零售商和品牌商应当优先关注以下四种趋势以保持竞争优势。

以下文章选自MarketingProfs网站，本文通过分析零售业在2017年的发展趋势，为零售商及品牌营销人员就产品内容、销售渠道、商品及分发体系的兼容性、个性化预测技术四个不同层面提供思路。重点生词及实用短语已用蓝色高亮，希望能够对正在BEC备考的童鞋有所帮助。

Retail sales in 2016 were projected to reach $22 trillion globally, buoyed by events such as Alibaba’s $18 billion Singles Day and the 11 US e-commerce days with over $1 billion in sales beginning on Thanksgiving in 2016.

However, the massive increases in sales mean that the market is even more crowded. Customers can afford to be selective about price and user experience, because global competition is now the norm and there is always a competitor willing to offer a comparable experience.

In today’s landscape, retailers and brands must make the following four key trends a priority to stay competitive.

1. Product content will become mission-critical for retailers

Having a great product is a cornerstone of a successful retail company, but if that great product isn’t effectively merchandised across a variety of platforms, its success is severely limited.

Enter content. Fully 88% of consumers say detailed product content is a key purchase driver. What does that content look like?

Good product content should go beyond simply showing an image and sourcing information; it should help customers by adding value, by offering educational content and forging a connection with a brand. Once a seller has provided high-quality product content, that information needs to be consistent across every platform that a seller uses to sell its products.

The likes of Amazon are at the forefront of the product information “war,” and it has implemented strict guidelines aimed at reducing the amount of counterfeit sellers and inaccurate product content on its platform.

2. Omnichannel will move from aspirational to essential

The word “omnichannel” has been one of the most talked about concepts in the world of retail in recent years, but it may finally be behind us. Retailers have had a few years to invest in the selling experience on multiple channels, and the margin for error is significantly smaller than it used to be.

Consumer data backs up the importance of nailing the omnichannel experience: Shoppers who interact with companies across multiple channels spend 18-36% more than customers who interact with only one channel.

Retailers have had their logistics capabilities and physical stores in place for many years now, but new investments in additional physical operations, such as in-store technology, pose a host of issues at a time when consumers expect a more unified experience than ever before. Integrating new technology into the e-commerce experience, with its global shipping networks, online sites, mobile apps, and more, creates a new level of complexity.

The recent emergence of Amazon Go signals a shot across the bow for retailers as well. The company’s beta version of a grocery store, with instant checkouts, product selection, and arrangement determined by artificial intelligence, may force the entire grocery industry to rethink existing stores.

An entire generation of consumers has grown up with frictionless checkouts online, and this new store merges Amazon’s current excellence with the experience younger generations are already accustomed to. This is the year to get your metaphorical house in order.

3. Compliance will remain a challenge

Global commerce is now the norm for many businesses, but the more geography a company covers, the more regulation it must deal with. Globally, new regulations on medical devices, food products, traceability, and more… challenge businesses across every industry, and each country has its own version of these regulations.

Companies can’t afford to mishandle their product information in many of these categories: Food and health products can become deadly if the tiniest of details is missed. And every country requires slightly different information, often in a different language than the country of origin.

Retailers must streamline their product information distribution systems to ensure compliance with each initiative and ensure overall accuracy.

4. Retailers will embrace predictive technology

One of the most effective ways to get access to consumer wallets is personalization. However, traditional personalization models of “you bought this, so you might like that,” can go only so far, because they struggle to identify purchase factors outside of what retailers program into their item relationships, and they can’t identify specific consumers and their individual preferences.

Some 45% of shoppers are more likely to shop with brands and retailers that offer personalized recommendations, and predictive analytics are the gateway to these customers.

Because consumers aren’t always sure of what their next purchase will be, offering highly relevant and timely recommendations can accelerate purchase decisions and gain even more information on core customers.

This level of deep understanding also helps build a better decision-making culture, where merchandising and marketing efforts are informed by customer data instead of speculation.

The retail market is more crowded and competitive than ever. Consumers can purchase almost anything, anytime, anywhere, and that trend is only going to accelerate.

The future comes with many opportunities and challenges; retailers that keep these four trends in mind as cornerstones of their overall retail philosophy will be well-placed to succeed.

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