As we've been reporting for the last seven years in this publication, all kinds of technology are radically changing the face of retail and, ultimately, the way retailers do business today. The simplest explanation is, of course, to point to the Internet to sum up the breakneck pace at which these changes are occurring. Consumers now have amazing amounts of information at their fingertips and have access to the Net on 24-7 basis. As a result, shopping habits are continually evolving and new trends are emerging.
To delve a bit deeper into what you can expect as we move into 2011, we thought we'd turn to a few retail strategists to help us peek into the future of the changing face of retail. They examine four of the latest trends they think will have a big impact on retail this year.
1. Consumers at the Wheel
Lauren Sosik, who has been researching the retail landscape for many years from her office in New York, tells us that in 2011 we'll see the escalation of a trend that has actually been building over the last few years.
“It's all about control,” she began. “Consumers will be calling the shots in 2011 even more so than they have the past few years. The shopping experience belongs to them today, they have taken complete ownership of it…and they are not letting go any time soon.”
Sosik added that expectations continue to rise as well, and retailers can expect to be held to even higher standards—both in their brick-and-mortar and online spaces.
Owen Green, a New Jersey-based blogger, who covers the retail world, agreed with Sosik, adding, “Consumers are so much more savvy with the technology today, even more so than they were just three years ago, so the level of tolerance for anything other than a positive experience is very low—something retailers need to keep in mind as well.”
2. Balancing Act – Bricks & Clicks
Customer loyalty remains high on the priority list and perhaps the best way to achieve this goal is by maintaining the proper balance between the physical store location and the website. The experience with both must be consistent and ideally each should play off of one another.
“It's all about cross-channel marketing,” explained Sosik. “Smart retailers are continuing with the careful integration of bricks and clicks, focusing on a unified and seamless customer experience with both.”
Smart maneuvering made within these areas will bring the greatest return on investment, according to Green. “This is ultimately about gaining a better understanding of your target audience and servicing them accordingly. Investing the time and money to do the research to move wisely within this area will be a key to success for 2011 and beyond.”
3. Mobile Retail Is Coming
Thanks to features like texting, GPS and web browsing, mobile phones have quickly become a necessity many consumers simply cannot live without. As a result, they are also quickly becoming yet another marketing tool for retailers. Nearly three-quarters of all retailers are currently exploring mobile strategies, according to a recent Shop.org survey.
“Business acceptance of the idea of selling through phones and personal electronic devices seems to have gone from skeptical to very interested in the past year or so thanks to the BlackBerrys, iPhones and the Droids. Consumer use of personal devices connected to the Internet has accelerated greatly, and let's face it, nobody in retail really wants to be left without an address on the new information highway,” Sosik said.
However, 62 percent of those retailers surveyed admitted they have either not yet begun or are only in the early stages of planning their mobile strategy. Thus, while we agree that developing a mobile retail strategy is important, you're obviously not alone if you haven't exactly made it a priority.
“Many smaller retailers around the country actually began using text messaging as far back as 2004, but m-commerce has moved a little slow since. Some other retailers have experimented with advertising short codes on TV and in magazines to enable consumers to receive free samples of selected merchandise,” Green added. “Most retailers using texts today, though, do so to market products or offer promotions, as well as establish perhaps the closest connection possible with customers, since most consumers are almost never without their mobile phones.”
4. Face-to-Face Still Important
With all this talk about how vital establishing both a web and mobile presence is, until further notice, maximizing a positive experience in your brick-and-mortar location remains the top priority.
“Consumers want and need the hybrid retailer today, they still enjoy the trip to the store and the retailers that are effectively combining the experiential benefits of their physical location with that 24-hour flexibility of the web are going to be the big winners. The brick-and-mortar store isn't going anywhere—it's here to stay,” explained Sosik.
Despite all the tweeting, texting and Facebooking consumers are doing today, nothing, it appears, will ever replace good, old-fashioned face-to-face exchanges when it comes to shopping.
“Consumers today are clearly very well-informed and have access to deep wells of information online when it comes to making a retail purchase,” Green concluded. “But at the end of the day, most folks still enjoy getting out and interacting with other people. The most memorable and enjoyable retail experiences are still happening in-store.”
To that we say, thank heaven, and wish all of you an exciting and successful new year. 
