FUTURE GAZING
WHAT CAN RETAILERS EXPECT FROM 2021? JULIAN FISHER, CEO, JISP
WHAT DOES 2021 HAVE IN STORE FOR RETAILERS? TRYING TO PREDICT WHAT 2021 WILL LOOK LIKE FOR RETAILERS IS A TOUGH ASK, BUT IT’S A CHALLENGE THAT JISP CEO JULIAN FISHER IS UP FOR AS HE GETS HIS CRYSTAL BALL OUT FOR THE WEEK IN RETAIL.
WHAT CAN RETAILERS EXPECT FOR 2021, JULIAN? If 2020 is any guide, retailers can expect more disruption and uncertainty. What might have been considered a gentle shift from the High Street to online became an avalanche in the last quarter. With Black Friday turning into Black ‘whole of November’ and Cyber Monday becoming Cyber ‘every day-of-the-week’ the question nobody has asked is whether shoppers will have any confidence returning to bricks and mortar retailers. It’s a tricky question because, of course they will. However, it will be different with newer, faster and slicker brands moving into the positions once held by the long standing, unmoving and arrogant brands of old. 2021 will be the year that brands listen to their customers, adopt and master communication on their level and adapt to the pace needed to survive.
HOW WILL COVID-19 AFFECT RETAILERS IN 2021? The Covid effect has already been felt. Cruelly, those who have survived may yet tumble in the new year. The high street adjustment is not finished and, until the virus is defeated, we may yet face changes of a kind we could have never forecast and would not have dared to imagine possible. As more businesses move online, competition will deepen. Customers will see some benefits and a
WEDNESDAY 13TH JANUARY 2021 / ISSUE 38 / SLRMAG.CO.UK / 27
