design:retail - April/May 2015 - (Page 10)

show talk 010 The Missing Link DOUG HOPE FOUNDER AND SHOW DIRECTOR, GLOBALSHOP doug.hope@emeraldexpo.com @globalshopshow I N ADDITION TO new products and innovation, each edition of GlobalShop has brought a buzzword or trend to the forefront-and this year was no diﬀerent. What was diﬀerent, however, was that this year's show was not about products or trends; rather, it was the vocalized realization that the basic structure of today's retailer is already obsolete. The immediate need to blend together physical and digital presences in the in-store space is abundantly prevalent, but the typical retailer has not yet conquered the challenge of achieving this feat. This literally is a new frontier with exceptionally high demand. While some retailers outsource their dotcom businesses to third parties, even those that have in-house capability have built two silos, one for bricks and mortar and the other for e-commerce. As a result, there are different buyers, designers and senior management for each side-a structure, which until now has been unimaginative, but adequate. However, with the rapidly changing in-store environment in which shoppers expect the ability to weave seamlessly between physical and digital worlds, that corporate org chart is showing its limitations, and the obligation to integrate organizationally has become more evident. The shopper demand for an integrated and seamless experience, rather than a disconnected and disjointed one, is evident. Ideally, this is GlobalShop 2016 March 23-25 Sponsored by A.R.E. In cooperation with IIDA Mandalay Bay Convention Center Las Vegas | GlobalShop.org CONTACT US: 1145 Sanctuary Pkwy., Ste. 355 Alpharetta, GA 30009-4772 APRIL/MAY 2015 DESIGNRETAILONLINE.COM supported by a merged organization, which would become the responsibility of a Chief Experience Oﬃcer, or CXO, who would become responsible for the user experience both in-store and online. This ensures that the shopper would get the sense of continuity and connection between the two sectors of the business. While that job title has been bandied about for a number of months, there is not much evidence that it exists in retail except in very rare cases. This needs to change. The role or function has not truly been fulfilled despite the noble intention of numerous CIOs, CTOs, CMOs and CEOs who believe they can assume that role. But, today, the CEO and technology officers are justifiably obsessed with data breach, and as an SHOW STAFF: → Founder and Show Director Doug Hope (770) 291-5453 doug.hope@ emeraldexpo.com → Sales Manager Roarke Dowd (770) 291-5428 roarke. dowd@emerald expo.com → Account Executive Dreama McDaniel (770) 291-5420 dreama.mcdaniel@ emeraldexpo.com → Account Executive Kerry Tyler (770) 291-5432 kerry.tyler@ emeraldexpo.com area of signiﬁcant risk, this is a reasonable focus. Meanwhile, the CMOs typically have been focused on everything except for in-store, the most crucial part of the buyer experience. The creation of the CXO position would be an unprecedented boost to the store design, planning and visual merchandising industries. When the CXO turns to the bricks-and-mortar business and is able to combine it with the digital one to create an integrated retail experience, the import of our industry will be elevated and appreciated like never before. As a practical matter, the expectation of an instant or widespread CXO position is not yet reasonable. Portions of these tasks must be assumed by others, and, as we've already pointed out, the most likely potential candidates are consumed in other facets of the business. What this means is that GlobalShop attendees and design:retail readers must begin a vigilant campaign for the creation of that position (while also assuming the role for the interim). Considering the enormous opportunity to deliver on shopper expectation, there is no time to waste waiting for that missing link to be found. → Marketing Manager Heather Kuznetz (770) 291-5512 heather.kuznetz@ emeraldexpo.com → Conference Manager Toni Ward (770) 291-5441 antoinette.ward@emeraldexpo.com → Senior Operations Manager Derrick Nelloms (770) 291-5452 derrick.nelloms@ emeraldexpo.com EMERALD EXPOSITIONS: → CEO and President David Loechner → CFO and Treasurer Philip Evans → Chief Information Oﬀicer Bill Charles → Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary David Gosling → Senior Vice President, Operations Lori Jenks → Senior Vice President, Digital Teresa Reilly → Vice President, Marketing Services Joanne Wheatley → Vice President, Human Resources Eileen Deady → Vice President, Corporate Operations Denise Bashem Photo courtesy of THINKSTOCK http://www.GlobalShop.org http://www.DESIGNRETAILONLINE.COM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of design:retail - April/May 2015

Editor’s Note
Show Talk
On Trend
We Love This!
Designer Picks
Clicks & Mortar
How’d They Do That?
Postcard
Have You Heard?
Mingle
Shopper Insights
Shopping with Paco
The Lost Archives of Gene Moore
40 Under 40
The Art of the Mannequin
GlobalShop Review
The Maker Movement
Products
Backstory

design:retail - April/May 2015