Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2013 - 6

PUBLISHER'S DESK

Innovation in the New
Omnichannel World
HOLIDAY 2013 | VOLUME 23 ISSUE 6

LET ME begin with a disclaimer. As

publisher

is tradition, each year Canadian Retailer magazine, in collaboration with
KPMG, host a retail executive roundtable. The insights that are gleaned
from the roundtable are included
within a feature article in the year-end
issue in an attempt to provide our readers with commentary and predictions
concerning the year ahead and the
major trends, opportunities and challenges that the retail industry faces.
We were delighted with the level
of participation on this year's roundtable. But, as chance would have it,
the two female CEOs who were to
join the group were called away at
the eleventh hour, meaning we were
left without female representation.
Always up for a challenge, KPMG
suggested that we host another
roundtable in the New Year, featuring female CEOs from across Canada. And that is exactly what we will
endeavour to do as we continue to
reﬂect the rich diversity of views and
of leadership within the industry.
Our 2013 roundtable participants,
featured in this issue, also met the
challenge and provided candid and
thought-provoking insights on the
ever-changing retail landscape.
And, it was no surprise to ﬁnd that
topics such as omnichannel, innovative customer service, mobile shoppers and personalized customer
experiences are the predominant
themes for the year ahead.
And why not! A recent Leger Marketing study showed that 67 per cent
of those surveyed used their mobile
phone this year to buy something.
Another 47 per cent noted that they
would regularly click on ads if they
were personalized to them. Finally,
69 per cent of consumers said they
found it helpful when retailers made
suggestions to them based on their
personal online shopping history.
As one participant noted, "It's interesting that in the early days, the

Diane J. Brisebois
s e n i o r v i c e - p r e s i d e n t, m a r k e t i n g
& c o m m u n i c at i o n s

Sharon Armstrong
editor-in- chief

Sean C. Tarry
(416) 922-0553, ext. 286
starry@retailcouncil.org
art direction

Scope Media
www.scopemedia.ca

online aspect used to be seen as competition by our in-store associates.
Now they don't. Now, it's about merging the two." And that was echoed
by another participant who added
that, "Consumers today don't distinguish between online and in-store-
they don't differentiate."
And as Chris Hodgson from Google Canada remarked, "You have to
understand the different reasons why
people choose to use diverse platforms
in certain situations. The social network is not a homogenous thing across
the board. Some are performance led,
some are for engagement, and some
are geared toward branding. First, you
have to understand why the community is there to begin with."
There is no doubt that the retail
landscape is changing faster than
ever before. The executive conversation in this issue attests to this
fact. But all agree that change is a
constant, making us smarter, better
and more innovative.
Enjoy this issue and the many
good things we wish upon this great
industry in the year to come!
Sincerely,

Diane J. Brisebois
President and CEO
Retail Council of Canada

canadian retailer | holiday 2013 | www.retailcouncil.org/cdnretailer

contributors

Talbot Boggs, Andrew Hind,
David McPherson, Robert Price
d i r e c t o r o f p u b l i c at i o n s

Bob Phillips
rphillips@naylor.com
project manager

Alana Place
aplace@naylor.com
sales manager

Bill McDougall
bmcdougall@naylor.com
editorial office

1881 Yonge Street, Suite 800
Toronto, Ontario M4S 3C4
Phone: (416) 922-6678 | Fax: (416) 922-8011
www.retailcouncil.org
a d v e r t i s i n g/ p r o d u c t i o n o f f i c e

Naylor (Canada), Inc.
300 - 1630 Ness Avenue,
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3J 3X1
Phone: (800) 665-2456 | Fax: (800) 709-5551
www.naylor.com
Canadian Retailer is published six times each
year by Retail Council of Canada. Members
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We welcome your article suggestions and any
photographs pertaining to retailing in Canada.
Please note the opinions expressed in Canadian
Retailer do not necessarily reﬂect those of Retail
Council of Canada. For article reprints, contact
Naylor (Canada) at 1-800-665-2456.

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Canadian Retailer - Holiday 2013

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