Home > 3-D Competition: "The Future Is Here – Put On Your Glasses"

Bryan Gildenberg, Chief Knowledge Officer, Kantar Retail
As the economic and shopper landscape changes, the challenges facing retailers become more complex. Historically, retail competitive models have revolved around two-dimensional tradeoff decisions:

• Fast nickels vs. slow dimes
• Low cost vs. high service/experience
• Low price vs. convenience
• Simplicity vs. assortment

A digital-oriented, fragmented world means retailers will need to think about these models more comprehensively—and start to make “three-dimensional tradeoffs” with more complex models. Bryan Gildenberg discusses how retailers explore the 3 core dimensions for success:

• Finance—how can I sustainably generate increasing cash flow?
• Brand—can I be loved by consumers for my difference?
• Operations—can I reach a more fragmented marketplace efficiently?

The ability to create multi-dimensional, integrated solutions will be critical for everyone working in retail: what does this look like, and are we ready to meet the challenge?