Retail for Humans

"Technology is dramatically changing the retail landscape, but one thing remains the same:
Retail is about providing high-quality, engaging experiences for customers. 
Human customers. 
Successful retailers use technology to amplify and enhance the
core human element of retail, not replace it..." 

Retail's BIG Show is next week and the excerpt above, from the NRF blog, hit my screen around the same time as three other perspectives:

1. Resurfaced talk on Twitter about how 55% of online shoppers start their product searches on Amazon, a data point I believe Jason Del Rey was the first to share on Recode
2. Ezra Galston’s delineation that while digital can be a worthy vehicle for customer acquisition and retention, actual e-commerce operations remain challenging
3. Nicole Quinn's articulation that combined commerce requires prioritizing the right channels across web, mobile, chat, and voice

Taken together, one interpretation is this:

• Non-Amazon retailers - especially those who can do something Amazon can’t - need a way to capture consumers' attention higher in the purchase funnel
• Marketing and commerce can and should happen in many channels - including stores - but not every strategy has to touch each one every time because that's not how people behave
• Retailers with stores should leverage their physical presence, even if a customer initially is reached online

Thumbnail image is from pitchforsuccess.com.