Bonus Insights: Andrew Busby - Founder, Retail Reflections
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Retail expert, writer and speaker, former Forbes contributor, and author of the best-selling Harry Was Right All Along, Andrew Busby is Global Retail Senior Director at Software AG and founder of Retail Reflections.
He is a thought leader within the industry, a global retail influencer, and member of the exclusive global community ReTHINK Retail. In demand for both writing and speaking, he is regularly quoted on TV, radio and in the national press.
WATCH his DELIVER Europe 2023 Keynote: Shopper Mark Two - Understanding Them Is Key to Your Survival
Key Fact: 45% fewer UK stores closed in 2022 than in 2021 (Coresight Research)
The Return of Brick & Mortar
“We're all Shopper Mark Two: we have all evolved in our shopping behaviour. And what most people want is the high street: something more authentic, more artisans and independents. It's about physical retail thinking more like a museum or an art gallery. When it's a high street, which is mainly populated with independents, you don't know what you're going to find. That's part of the draw. So that in itself gives a reason for us to want to go there – we want something different.”
The Market Town Renaissance
“Space management as a discipline has been in the doldrums; it's been a little bit peripheral. What we're going to see in our typical market towns is a more exciting and therefore inspirational use of space. And that is a combination of wellness, traditional retail, hospitality, entertainment. Our town centres are going to become a destination.”
The Service Journey Ahead
“Against the macro-economic background we've got at the moment, which will continue for some time, we're looking at price, value and service, within a wrapper of great customer experience. Brands and retailers like to think they are really advanced with this. But think of it as Mount Everest – we're hardly at basecamp.
Supermarkets could learn from the airlines. Why isn't there, if I qualify, a VIP Lane checkout that I can go to? There is so far to go until we really deliver a service to people that is actually effortless, that adds real value, where we come away thinking, that was really good. That was a great experience.”