Canadian Retailer - The Technology & e-Commerce Issue - 4

EDITOR'S NOTE

Into the great
wide open

Challenge and opportunity abound
for Canadian retailers in 2018
THE relationship between technology and e-commerce, generally
speaking, is an easy one to understand. So, too, is the potential
impact that each has on retail operations as well as the customer
shopping journey. But what aren't so clear are the subtleties and
nuances required to build each into a coherent business strategy
to make it all work together to strengthen and elevate the retail
experience for the customer.
Within this issue of Canadian Retailer, we explore some of these
subtleties and nuances to provide a holistic view of the latest technologies and the current state of e-commerce in Canada, capturing some of the challenges and opportunities that lay ahead for
retailers operating in the country.
In "How can technology solve the biggest retail challenges?"
(pg. 26), we identify areas within the retail operation where businesses face obstacles with respect to customer engagement, workforce management, the development of business strategy, and explore how the smart use of technology can help retailers overcome
those obstacles.
When it comes to engaging with brands, customers today have
a number of channels to choose from. Find out how retailers can
best manage all of these channels to position themselves for ecommerce success in "Channel loyalty" (page 30).
Beyond the management of the online channel, retailers have
got to be present. But more importantly, they need to offer their
customers content that is meaningful and relevant. Read "Content
is king" (pg. 40) to find out how retailers are leveraging dynamic
online content to help build relationships with their customers and
awareness of their brands.
In addition, as an exclusive to this issue of Canadian Retailer,
Retail Council of Canada President & CEO, Diane J. Brisebois,
interviews the Retail Prophet Doug Stephens (pg. 12), Brisebois
and Stephens analyze retail in Canada and all of the trends, challenges, and opportunities heading into the new year.
As always, it's our pleasure to bring this content to you and encourage your feedback to ensure that we continue providing you
with the very best stories and news from the world of Canadian
retail. From everyone here at Canadian Retailer, we hope you and
your teams have a wonderful Holiday Season and a prosperous
and healthy start to 2018.

TECHNOLOGY & E- COMMERCE | VOLUME 27 ISSUE 6

publisher

Diane J. Brisebois
senior director of marketing
a n d c o m m u n i c at i o n s

Branka Stavric

editor-in- chief

Sean C. Tarry
(416) 922-6678, ext. 286
starry@retailcouncil.org
art direction

Scope Media
hello@scopemedia.ca
senior writer

Robert Price

contributors

Christopher Daniel, Jesse Donaldson, Jennifer
Drake, Andrea Elliot, Stuart Foxman, Richard
Giannini, Tony Hernandez, Alphijeet Rege,
Cynthia Reynolds, Dave Rodgerson
d i r e c t o r o f p u b l i c at i o n s

Angela Caroyannis
acaroyannis@naylor.com
project manager

Kim Davies
kdavies@naylor.com
sales manager

Bill McDougall
bmcdougall@naylor.com
editorial office

800 - 1881 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON 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.
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Winnipeg, MB R3G OT5
Phone: (800) 665-2456 | Fax: (800) 709-5551
www.naylor.com
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Sincerely,
Sean C. Tarry
Editor-In-Chief
Canadian Retailer

CANADIAN RETAILER

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| THE TECHNOLOGY & E-COMMERCE ISSUE

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