Competition and the future of retailing

Abstract: The retailing sector is in the midst of an unprecedented phase of strategic disruption, caused by tremendous flux in the nature of competition, consumer behavior, and other factors shaping the retail marketplace. Many traditional retail businesses have been slow to respond and thus are in a precarious state, or worse. This paper analyses the modern retailing landscape and proposes that retail firms superior in the strategic domains of data, advanced technology, brand, and international, and prepared to be part of the transformation of the sector, are expected to stay ahead of the competition and thrive. The paper identifies sets of strategic moves retailers can take to counter the challenges posed by the four strategic domains.