Ecommerce needs an E-Lift
Imagine the convenience of indulging in Grocery shopping right at your home - and not being bothered
by the weather, clock, rush hour traffic, POS queues and coupon clutter. I am not trying to make a case
for ecommerce here but want to make a case for enhancing it completely so that it becomes a
compelling experience for the Grocery shoppers - powerful and personalized yet simple. With the
advent of 4G, ubiquity of high resolution tablets, 3D technology - I do not think this is a big ask. Of
course the retailers will be pushed to their limits -supply chain and distribution network will now need
to be more agile, inventory management and forecasting more accurate, business intelligence and
analytics more dependable but this will also benefit them from additional product advertising
revenues, predictability in orders, cross sell & up sell opportunities, better shrink management,
collaboration opportunities between retailers, new product categories - personalized items and of
course the store will be now open 24X7 for business! The Brick and mortar could well be replaced by
intelligent "break pack" distribution centers which are no longer cost centers and the fleet owned and
operated by a third party, round the clock. Am I dreaming?
Posted on behalf of Thomas Mathen
