Publications
From Point of Sale to Point of Need: How Digital Technology Is Transforming Retailing
DownloadReinartz, W., & Imschloß, M. (2017). Vom Point-of-Sale zum Point-of-Need: Digitale Technologien und die neue Welt des Einzelhandels, GfK Marketing Intelligence Review, 9(1), 42-47.
2017
Monika Imschloß
From Point of Sale to Point of Need: How Digital Technology Is Transforming Retailing
Werner Reinartz and Monika Imschloß
Digital transformation has a strong impact on the retail industry. Activities that were once retail sector are moving to online stores, and specialized third parties are taking over physical distribution and payment. Naturally, store-based retailers are not taking this sitting down and many are reacting by starting to “digitalize” their point of sale. But in order to understand the true impact of digitalization and to react adequately, one needs to think backwards from the consumer and enter the scene at a much earlier stage. In our digital age, need occurrence, shopping and consumption are moving much closer in time and space and are being naturally integrated into our daily routine. If retailers still want their share, they have to build an ecosystem of presence and organize themselves around consumption and lived reality of their consumers. They have to be present in the mind of the consumer at the very instance a need arises. Being recalled in time matters now more than ever.
Authors
- Werner Reinartz, Professor für Marketing, Leiter Seminar für Handel und Kundenmanagement; Direktor Institut für Handelsforschung (IFH e.V.), Universität zu Köln, Deutschland, werner.reinartz@uni-koeln.de
- Monika Imschloß, IFH Junior Professorin für Marketing und Handel, Universität zu Köln, Deutschland, imschloss@wiso.uni-koeln.de