Special Report - The retail revolution

Our focused report on retail will detail the vast changes that have been undertaken in this industry since the onset of Covid, and how you can adapt to get to the top.

Welcome to our latest special report – and this time we are trying something new, with a sector focus on retail. Ardent readers (and I hope that includes most of you!) of BAM magazine will note we have occasionally featured an industry focus, but with the retail industry in such a period of change, we thought a deeper dive in this special report was due.

And I hope you are not disappointed by this; I have certainly found it a fascinating read, as our writers dissect the retail industry of old and try to predict what’s coming next. The experience of the customer is key and paramount, as explained by Morgan Witzel on page 2, but what is it that we actually want? Find out here.

A staple of my upbringing was spending time at the local shopping centre with friends and acquaintances on a Saturday afternoon; I’m sure it was the same for you. However, with dire warnings of multiple shopping centre closures to come, what will take their place? Page 9 has the answers.

But dwelling on the past will not help; a return to ‘normal’ is seemingly impossible in a post- COVID world, so building the future is key. Page 16 details what the store of the future may look like, with some fascinating and interesting observations. How brands market themselves and reach their target market is also changing, with more sustained used of VR and AR to give consumers the personal touch. Page 26 explains some of the methods already being used.

That’s my whistle-stop tour of the report, but please do dive in and draw your own conclusions. The future of retail isn’t up to our writers to decide: it’s for all of us. So read, enjoy and join the debate – bring on the future!