Mission Statement

We live in the Information Age. The challenge of our time is our daily journey across the dunes of endless news and information clutter to the oasis of relevant, timely and trustworthy information on the topics of our interest. Among several perils of our journeys is the loss of invaluable time due to distractions leading to frustration and build up of stress. The purpose of this blog is my humble attempt to help my readers to navigate through the vast informational horizon of Retail Landscape in search of relevant, interesting, actionable and insightful information, minimizing the stress factors of the journey for those who share my passion for everything retail.

Personal interest

I have been passionate about the retail industry for 5 years now. Presently, I am on a cusp to starting my career in the industry. I have an honorary diploma in Fashion Business Management and a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Retail Management.

Why do I like retail? I like it because it is everywhere. I like it because it is complex. I like it because it holds countless opportunities for those people who are ready for its challenges. I like it because real people, consumers, play the key role shaping it to suit their changing lifestyles, tastes and inspirations. Sometimes the industry can influence the change in the consumer lifestyle as well, a refreshing news. I like it because I like new technologies, which are very important in the industry. I believe that retailing is a reflection of the Zeitgeist: a barometer of social and cultural mood in the society. Because it is big business, retail is subject to larger economic and political trends.

As you can see, the complexities of being a professional are vast. Staying ahead of the curve is absolutely paramount to being successful on either personal or organizational levels in retail. But at the same time it is exciting and challenging to be in the midst of the vortex called retail.

In this blog I attempt to stay abreast of current political, economic, social and technological climates in the global and local markets; share stories of industry leaders identifying what makes them who they are; shine the light on successful business strategies; examine the journey, success factors and strategic competitive advantages of successful retail organizations; follow the development of key trends that will have the impact on the future of the industry; find new information in best selling titles; examine the influence of recent trends on business.

Rubrics 

News: look at the major news that shape the industry
Leadership: get inspired by the leaders of the retail industry
Retail Strategy: strategic decisions often make or break companies; this rubric looks at successful and failed strategies to offer handy references for future business decisions
Notable Retailers: monthly rubric that looks at the major players on the domestic and international Retail Landscapes and answers such questions as "where it all started?", "what makes the company successful?", "what does the future hold?", etc.
Under the Microscope: this rubric follows the unfolding story of an noteworthy idea, technological innovation, individual or an organization
Books: review reading material to gain new perspective and new knowledge
Trends in Action: how recent trends are affecting the business 




Sources 

The Economist - www.economist.com
Bloomberg BusinessWeek - www.businessweek.com
The Globe and Mail - www.theglobeandmail.com
National Retail Federation - www.nrf.com
Retail Council of Canada - www.retailcouncil.org
Retailing Today - www.retailingtoday.com
Retail Prophet - www.retailprophet.com/blog
Harvard Business Review - www.hbr.org
Business Insider www.businessinsider.com/retail
Time Magazine topics.time.com/retailers
Internet Retailer www.internetretailer.com
Marketing Magic www.marketingmagic.ca
Planet Retail www1.planetretail.net

The new frontier for Twitter

On December 12, the Pope Benedict XVI is going to connect with the faithful around the globe on Twitter, according to Bloomberg Business Week (http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-12-11/the-popes-social-media-guru-on-at-pontifexs-first-tweet).

I think that this fact is inspirational for the business that still resist the online revolution. If Pope is entering the grey zone of social media to reach out to his 'followers' ('customers') where they are, in a way adapting to cater to the lifestyle of the people, there is no reason your business should follow the suit. 

So Twitter is a new place to preach.
It’s almost like the equivalent of the old marketplaces where Jesus went to engage people. That’s where we have to be, with all of its ambiguities and difficulties, because that’s where the people are.