Change in sales: retail, e-commerce and connected stores

The European Economic Congress was held in the Katowice’s International Conference Centre and the Spodek Arena between 14 and 16 May 2018 . During the Congress, Olgierd Cygan, Partner and Deloitte Digital CE Leader participated in the discussion panel.

Managing information to boost trade:

• New trading models based on data processing: digital, omnichannel, e-commerce.
• Big data. Competing at a new level through data analytics and the knowledge of customer profile
• Customer’s experience and emotions. Customer Experience — how to manage it?
• Personalised offering using the latest technology
• Future retail: digitisation and automation to boost trade
• Use of analytics to identify consumer trends

The participants in the discussion:

• Olgierd Cygan, Partner, Deloitte Digital CE Leader
• Artur Czajka, Business Development Manager, IQS
• Filip Gieleciński, Managing Director, Client Service Director, Posterscope Polska SA
• Andrzej Gliński, Board Member, Bank Millennium
• Jacek Kujawa, Vice President of the Board, LPP
• Jacek Palec, President of the Board, bdsklep.pl Sp. z o.o.

The discussion was moderated by Edyta Kochlewska, Editor-in-Chief, dlahandlu.pl

Digitalisation (or digital transformation) is seen as a revolution which affects all business sectors and, recently, specifically the trade industry. A survey carried out by Deloitte Digital last year revealed that:

• only 41 percent of Polish companies have developed a strategic business and investment plan to get ready for digital transformation. 
• Even less, 36 percent, has a clearly specified operating plan in place 
• and only 29 percent of them is ready to implement it and monitor its progress.

Digital — as a solution it is maturing, but we see that not all companies are ready to deploy it. Therefore retailers, focused on offline channels, need to revise the selling strategies incorporated in their business models.

A new generation of consumers, who with a natural ease combine offline and online, require of the retail industry to design and implement such experience. Stores are no longer a shopping space, but are becoming a part of a brand’s communication platform and the customer experience.

Investment in technologies has become vital to improve shopping efficiency by processing a variety of data, often real-time — during a visit in-store — user and customer experience. Therefore the future of retail trade lies largely in the extension of multi- and omnichannel networks. This also means that the retail industry must get involved in the creation of the right information about products, the right presentation of products, both offline and online (also mobile), integration of the purchase and customer service not only with the 360 approach, but also 7/24.

What does digital transformation mean for Deloitte Digital?

• it is a comprehensive process in which an organisation switches to the new ways of operating using the digital technology. This is a customer-centric process focused on their needs which require of the organisation a change of their previous approach to those buying their products and services.
• Digitalisation involves for example implementation of new tools to support sales, marketing and communication, both inside their organisation and in their contacts with the stakeholders.
• Digital transformation is no longer a means to ensure competitive advantage, but has become a decisive factor in the company’s future existence in the market. Digitalisation is not only a technological advancement, but a catalyst of business and social change the aim of which is to satisfy the fast-changing customer’s needs.