Epos Now Sales & Marketing Director Charlie Wright On The Future of Brick and Mortar Retail
This article is part of Raydiant’s Future of Brick and Mortar Retail series featuring interviews with industry experts and thought leaders with the goal of providing actionable insights that can help brick and mortar retailers prepare for what lies ahead.
The following is an interview we had with Charlie Wright, Sales & Marketing Director at Epos Now.
What are the 3-5 top trends that will shape Brick and Mortar Retail in 2021?
CW: Brick and mortar retail now has access to more digital tools than ever. Stores will sync their physical presence, with the online, continuing to leverage social and augmented online shopping experiences. Leveraging loyalty platforms for live businesses and plugging into platforms like etsy for an international audience.
What technologies will have the biggest impact on Brick and Mortar Retail in 2021?
CW: Apps, Click and Collect, and eCommerce – over 75% of black Friday deals for Shopify were completed on mobile, Epos Now saw that over 1/3 of its retail customers continued to trade online during the lockdown.
What should Brick and Mortar Retailers be doing now to prepare for 2021?
CW: They need to get online and meet the changing needs of the consumer, people expect instant gratification in 2021. Customers have no brand loyalty as the giants like Amazon self serve products en masse with next day delivery. The quicker retailers can build their online presence and e-commerce solutions and connect with delivery providers they can compete with the giants.
In the midst of so much change and uncertainty, what's the future of Brick and Mortar Retail look like?
CW: Optimistic, large shopping centres whereby there are crowds of people won’t be as popular after the COVID-19 breakout. Google and VISA are pushing the high street in their advertising, encouraging people to support their local community. People can use their high street as a shopping window into a wider stock inventory where people go in-store, browse and then still buy online. They will feel more connected than ever with their customers and will be in their pocket!
