Retail and Distribution, the Courage to Move Beyond the Conventional

Having been in retail, online and new business development my entire career, I have watched painfully as retail has been reticent to take a leadership role in the mobile and connected life ecosystems. Whether it’s leveraging m-commerce technology, location-based services or selling 4thWave IoT products, most retailers have been in the prime position, but have routinely taken wait-and-see approaches before making material merchandising investments. Pressures from showrooming and the street’s short-term expectations have squeezed out technology investments that could make it easier for customers to learn about new products and then buy them seamlessly.

Why is this? First, most retailers shun “practicing on the public” with either unproven products or ways of…