I am really excited about Retail’s future. I may be an eternal optimist, but Retail needs change. And the leaders of today that I talk to know it, and are doing something about it. On October 5, I was asked to speak at the Omni Channel Retail Summit in Vancouver. It was an event hosted by SCI, a leader in Omni Channel fulfillment and supply chain solutions and a Canada Post company.
I spoke about Digital Transformation. The event brought together retail marketing leaders from Western Canada, including retailers like Mark’s, Best Buy, MEC, Uniqlo, among many others. It was held in Vancouver at the tremendous offices of law firm Fasken Martineau. (Side note: speaking in a room with floor to ceiling windows with a view of the the beautiful Vancouver landscape is very, very inspiring. The photos speak for themselves).
During the one day event, there were about 10 presentations, and not one focused on the doom and gloom you here so much about in some Retail circles and industry publications. Why? Because the people in the room were and are Change Agents. We heard phenomenal success stories, and talking to my peers at the break, the future of Retail can be bright. I say can be, because the new leaders of Retail have to think differently, and move fast. Indecision has no place in the new Retail.
And judging by everyone I spoke to, we all had a ton of projects set to launch. Not one person in that room was content with the status quo.
Digital Transformation is a Hot Topic
I was also happy to see the impact my presentation had on the room. You can always judge the success of your presentation by how many people want to chat right after you speak, or the LinkedIn messages you get after speaking. I was impressed by the caliber of questions that my talk invoked. One of the questions I received post event, was: ‘is the order of the pillars of Digital Transformation important?’
That is a fantastic question. And while each company is different, and at a different stage of their own transformation, I would say yes, the order is important. (See my blog post on Align the Core for some more info). Education is key for any transformation to take place. Education can impact culture shift, and it’s imperative that education be done at the very beginning.
We also heard from Michael LeBlanc, an Ecommerce pioneer who spent many years with the Retail Council of Canada (RCC), driving numerous digital agendas and programs to help retailers succeed. I had heard of Michael and we have hundreds of mutual acquaintances, but I had never met him. I was thrilled to finally meet him and hear him talk about Canadian Retail. We often are bombarded with key metrics and benchmarks from U.S. Retail and Digital. It was refreshing to hear a strictly Canadian perspective on the topic.
Retail Leaders: Get Out There and Share!
I love attending big and small events. Often times, the smaller events (less than 75 people), like the SCI Omni Channel Retail Summit, spark the best conversations and spark the best connections. My advice to all current and future Retail leaders: get out there, network, take part in conversations, get inspired, and inspire others. We need the leaders of today and tomorrow to exchange ideas and innovations and lessons learned. We’ll all be better for it.
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