last word
In the Year 2020
Stephanie De Long
What are your customers and the retail environment going to be like in the year 2020? Here are a number of perspectives on how both will look nine short years from now.
• SHARE. Want to share a photo of frames in 2020? “Instead of snapping a shot with your camera phone, then loading it to Facebook, simply place your finger on the [product] where it says ‘share' and instantly it's uploaded.” Source: Popsop.com
• COMPETITION. Achieving success “will require improved customer experience, and differentiation from competitors aimed at avoiding ruinous price competition.” Source: Deloitte, Consumer 2020
• PRODUCT SAFETY. “Consumers will be more attentive to the safety of products they purchase.”
Source: World Economic Forum
• STAFF EDUCATION. Shoppers “will always be ‘on' and expect instant gratification. They will also increasingly expect sales associates' knowledge to exceed theirs—a level that may well exceed the ability of many retailers to educate their staff.” Source: Coca-Cola Retailing Research Council
• SENIORS. “America's boomers will own [more than] 60 percent of the country's wealth and account for $4 out of every $10 spent. The key to attracting boomers will be appealing to their ‘forever young' attitude.”
Source: Deloitte, Consumer 2020
• PACKAGING. “Package design will incorporate electronic-paper that bends and shapes to your needs. Packages will show high-resolution images, videos, moving graphics, interactive instructions, and more.”
Source: Cheryl Swanson, Toniq LLC
• MARKETING. “There will no longer be 12-month planning cycles. Budgets and resource allocation will have to become more flexible to enable marketers to quickly respond to opportunities and changing consumer needs.” Source: Thought Partners Consulting
• SERVICE. “Service will become an even more finely calibrated proposition between retailer and customer. And, service components will evolve increasingly from reactive to predictive as retailers battle to win the loyalty of an ever-elusive—and more fragmented—customer base.”
Source: The Future of the Retail Industry, Accenture.com EB
At the NRF's Big Show in January, this touch-sensitive display from Intel and adidas let customers scroll through different models. Built-in face recognition technology automatically identifies the gender and age of approaching consumers and offers recommendations based on them. Image courtesy of adidas
| MARKETING Forecasts |
|---|
| The white paper “20/20 in 2020: Toward a New Vision in Marketing,” offers advice to marketers in the year 2020. ■ EXPERIENCE. “As products and prices are increasingly at parity, the total brand experience (and especially customer service) will become the key differentiator. As one board member put it, ‘Customer service will become the next killer app.'” ■ BE REAL. “Consumers will increasingly have ways of finding out if you are cheating or faking (think ‘greenwashing').” ■ VALUE. “Deliver value to customers by using the information you have gathered from them and they will give you value in return.” ■ CUSTOMIZATION. “Focus on the most important ways to customize, allowing customers to personalize the products/services/experiences (including method of payment, delivery, data portability, and functionality).” ■ STRUCTURE. “Rethink organization structure and leadership values to be more responsive to the changing needs of the market.” Source: amaatlanta.wordpress. com/2011/03/27/2020/ |
MILESTONES
Wescan Optical
Celebrates 50 Years of Insight
Wescan Optical's parent company, Westgroupe, proudly celebrates its 50th anniversary. When Rodney Suliteanu founded a local frame distribution company in 1961, he had no inkling he was laying the groundwork for an international powerhouse. A half-century later, the company celebrates its 50th anniversary, maintaining its position as a leader in the ophthalmic industry.
Rodney's original business plan entailed importing and distributing frames to local opticians and optometrists. Today, his children continue to realize his vision at the forefront of the international eyewear sector.
Rodney's children, Beverly and Michael, joined the team in 1990 in response to the ever-changing industry and marketplace. Today, Beverly is Creative Director and Vice President of Product Development, and Michael is President.
In addition to importing and distributing licensed international brands in the Canadian marketplace, Wescan has developed several distinct eyewear brands of its own, including Fysh UK, Kliik denmark, EVATIK, and Superflex.
Wescan's international corporate headquarters reflect its pinnacle position in the industry. Located in Montreal, Quebec, the 54,000-square-foot facility boasts state-of-the-art technology and offers a wide array of on-site products and services. It is also home to a team of highly trained and driven customer service representatives.
As Wescan continues to flourish at an exponential rate, it always maintains the intrinsic morals and values Rodney instilled at the company's inception. Placing emphasis on the notion of family, Wescan recognizes and values the importance of long-standing, close-knit relationships with its customers, staff, and international distributors.
Wescan is proud to offer 50 years of insight to the eyewear industry, thanking its colleagues and clientele for their unwavering loyalty and support.
To learn more about Wescan, visit WWW.WESCAN.CA
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