"The ever-changing store" (parte II)

"The vast majority of leaders I meet believe that their job is to ensure perfect execution. Mistakes are verboten. Failure is unacceptable. And so we use our considerable experience (and energy) to run our teams like well-oiled machines. There’s only one problem: they are not machines. They are complex, adaptive systems—human systems—in an age of rapid change. By focusing on execution, we limit the potential for growth in the system. By making ourselves indispensable, we make our teams and organizations less resilient. In complexity, our job isn’t perfection, it’s building a culture that is always learning. And that requires letting go. Of course, clients often respond that they can’t trust their teams to make decisions and take action. I remind them that one of two things is true: either they’re wrong and their teams are capable of far more than they realize, or they’re right and they need to make an immediate change. What is not okay is to linger in a state of distrust and second-guessing."

Em linha completa com a Parte I.

Acrescentar também "Unleashing the power of small, independent teams"

Trecho retirado de “Brave New Work” de Aaron Dignan.

"The ever-changing store"

Este artigo, "The ever-changing store: Taking an agile, customer-centric approach to format redesign", é muito mais do que um artigo sobre a evolução do retalho. É também um artigo sobre Mongo, um artigo sobre como organizações habituadas a uma sede central que tudo decide não estão preparadas para um mundo que requer tentativa e erro, um mundo que requer "think beta, not best".

"many retailers still only refresh their store formats in three- to five-year cycles. That’s an eternity in today’s world, where consumer demands and behavior are changing rapidly. Furthermore, traditional format redesign is a costly, multiyear effort that involves overhauling several departments or even the entire store. It carries significant risk, because retailers have no guarantee that the redesign, once it’s complete, will generate the desired results. It could turn out to be a tremendous waste of time and money."

Markeplaces (parte II)

Parte I.

"“Todo o nosso investimento, nos próximos dois anos, vai centrar-se no digital. Este é um setor muito dinâmico, onde têm aparecido imensas marcas novas que, graças aos marketplaces ou às redes sociais, facilmente se dão a conhecer ao mundo”
...
“Os mercados onde somos mais fortes são aqueles que fizemos há 20 anos, pelos meios tradicionais, e onde contamos com clientes fiéis. Mas queremos dar-nos a conhecer a outros mercados pela via digital, o que obriga a investir milhões para se aparecer nos motores de busca. As grandes plataformas globais é que o conseguem”, explica.
...
Internacionalizar a marca com lojas fora de Portugal não está no horizonte. “Aprendemos que a gestão de lojas fora de Portugal é muito complicado, a não ser que se tenha um parceiro local”, diz Luís Figueiredo, que pretende, sim, reforçar o investimento na participação em feiras fora da Europa."

Trechos retirados de "Laranjinha prepara entrada na Amazon a partir de 2020"

Marketplaces

Quem tem mais a perder com a fuga de informação e o seu uso indevido, a Amazon ou a AT? E isto ainda está para implementação.

A propósito de "Selling with the enemy: Why rival retailers embrace Amazon.com". Vender no canal digital não se resume a montar uma loja online e começar a vender...

• por que é que alguém há-de chegar a essa loja online?
• por que é que alguém há-de arriscar dar o seu cartão de crédito a desconhecidos?

As marcas vendiam através de lojas físicas que não lhes pertenciam. Agora, as marcas também podem, e se calhar devem, vender através de lojas online (marketplaces) que não lhes pertencem. Esses marketplaces têm a obrigação de ser geridos por especialistas, por profissionais. Esses marketplaces têm asseguradas muito mais visitas e têm assegurada muito mais confiança na partilha dos dados de pagamento e garantias de serviço após-venda.

Quanto aos receios de cópia da Amazon e acesso à informação, penso nesta frase:

"And thus we close with a paradox: In the future, brand will no longer matter — except when it does. If a product’s story is compelling enough to truly differentiate, then that story will continue to resonate. If it doesn’t, it won’t."

Se as marcas não se diferenciarem, se não fizerem o seu trabalho de interacção com os seus clientes, com a sua tribo, acabarão terraplenadas pela Amazon ou por outras marcas.

Privilegiar os inputs sobre os outputs (parte XIII)

Parte I, parte II, parte III, parte IV, parte V, parte VI, parte VII, parte VIII, parte IX, parte X, parte XI e parte XII. 

"for many of today’s industrial vendors the ability to create value is less than matched by the power to capture it, because in commoditized markets the customer is the driver in an unbalanced distribution of bargaining power. The consequences for suppliers can be serious: declining prices and margins, inferior returns on investment, and the risk of falling into a ‘commodity trap’ where the pressure on profitability leads to reduced investment in product (or service) innovation, which in turn leads to further loss of differentiation and even greater pressure on prices and margins. Few marketers can escape this vicious cycle with their shirts on.
.
Can industrial companies counter commoditization and avoid falling victim to their ever more powerful, hard-bargaining customers?.
The answer for a growing number of companies is an affirmative one. These firms have learned that while core product advantages erode and pressure on prices never lets up, they can still do profitable business by pursuing value-added strategies including aligning themselves with key customers. Put differently, these companies have discovered profitable opportunities in stretching beyond their core products by offering customers compellingly differentiated values. They have thus successfully countered commoditization.
...
Consider the following examples.

• SKF, the world’s largest ball-bearing manufacturer, ... to maintain their production machinery, reduce or eliminate downtime and maximize plant yield.

• ...

• Raisio Chemicals, a major supplier of chemical compounds ... developing new products, upgrading paper quality and improving printability. The company offers its important customers access to its technical staff and facilities, including a unique pilot coating machine and a newly built printing plant, for testing and experimentation."

Dois exemplos da concentração nos inputs e não nos outputs.

Trechos retirados de "3 Countering Commoditization: Value-added Strategies and Aligning with Customers" de Kamran Kashani

Um mundo novo

"Ecommerce in Greece is expected to be worth 4 billion euros at the end of this year. That would be an increase of over 8 percent, compared to the 3.7 billion euros the Greek ecommerce industry was worth last year.
...
ecommerce in Greece is gaining ground, with 85 percent of internet users in this Southeastern European country making regular purchases online. For comparison: this figure was at 65 percent in 2016.
...
Currently, 85 percent of online shoppers in Greece make a major part (80 percent) of their purchases at domestic online stores.
...
The most popular payment method in Greece seems to be cash on delivery, as this makes up for 54 percent of online payments.
.
Nowadays, over 7,000 businesses in Greece have digital outlets."

Ontem voltaram a repetir-me uma afirmação:

- Os 10 maiores clientes da DHL não existiam em 2008

Trechos retirados de "Ecommerce in Greece: €4 billion in 2019"

Privilegiar os inputs sobre os outputs (parte XII)

Parte I, parte II, parte III, parte IV, parte V, parte VI, parte VII, parte VIII, parte IX, parte X e parte XI.

Recordar 

"Privilegiar os inputs sobre os outputs nada mais nada menos do que aplicar uma regra fundamental do Design Thinking.
.
Começar pelo que o cliente, ou o consumidor, ou o prescritor (começar por um actor do ecossistema) precisa ou quer fazer. Quais as suas motivações, que problema é que está a tentar resolver.[Moi ici: Recordar sobretudo a parte IX]
.
A Empatia é a chave. Não é acerca da nossa empresa. Precisamos da capacidade de perceber e partilhar os sentimentos de outros"

E considerar "How Not to Fail at Retail":

"Think About: Input Before Output
.
We all know how online shopping works: a customer can search for products based on various criteria. But an online store isn’t very good at asking probing questions to find out what a consumer really cares about.
.
As Frank asked me questions about what I wanted to accomplish with this new amplifier, he gathered key information before suggesting what the right solution would be. He put himself in a position to make recommendations to me that guitarcenter.com would never be able to make. And he helped me learn more about what was really important to me.
.
Could I have bought the amp on guitarcenter.com? Sure. But now that Frank has acted like a trusted advisor and helped me with my decision making, I’m much less likely to close the deal online. And truthfully, the only place I even considered making the purchase was in-person, with Frank.
...
As an in-store salesperson learns about a consumer’s needs and interests, they can do something that an online retailer can do in only the most rudimentary fashion: frame the product’s story in terms of the particular benefits to this individual customer.
.
An online product listing can tell of generic benefits, such as “gets your teeth their whitest” or “saves you $432 per year in energy costs.” An in-person retail experience can do so much more.
...
Brick and mortar retailers have lost many of the advantages they once had, including providing better access to products and the convenience of “location, location, location.” But in-person retailers still have the advantage of proximate, meaningful human contact to that allows them to better listen to customers, collaborate with them and personalize their purchase experience."

Para reflexão

Um artigo que merece ser lido para perceber o que se pode fazer e como as coisas podem funcionar, "What the ‘Amazon Coat’ Reveals About the Future of Shopping":

"More than half of shoppers aged 15 to 29 are influenced by independent customer reviews, and 43 percent are influenced by social media, according to Euromonitor International’s Lifestyle Survey 2017. “When it comes to shopping for clothes, fit, sizing and quality are key criteria — and when shopping online, these criteria are so hard,” said Ayako Homma, a fashion and luxury consultant at the market research firm.
.
The glut of positive reviews surely has helped the Amazon coat stand out."

Ainda mais temas para o futuro do retalho e da produção

Parte I e parte II.

"The decline of Payless can be attributed partly to broader trends in the market. The brand’s stores were largely located in malls, and there has a general decrease in the amount of foot traffic at large shopping centers over the last few years.
.
But there’s also an important shift happening in consumer behavior. People are moving away from poorly made, inexpensive fashion items. For decades fast fashion, epitomized by brands like H&M and Forever21, churned out cheap, fashionable clothes that customers could wear a few times before chucking out. But as I’ve reported before, many fast fashion brands are now on the decline.
.
Payless was the shoe equivalent of fast fashion. The brand was not known for the quality or durability of its product, but competed largely on price. As a result, customers could buy whatever boot or heel was in season, and expect to throw it away months later. Consumers appear to be tired of this approach, partly because it is so environmentally unsound. While Payless has spiraled downwards, a flock of brands making high-quality, eco-friendly, durable shoes like M.Gemi, Allbirds, and Rothy’s have been thriving."

O impacte desta evolução no retalho, nas marcas, na produção, nos materiais e design - pense nisso!

Trecho retirado de "What the Payless bloodbath says about the death of fast fashion"

Mais temas para o futuro do retalho

Parte I.

"Payless ShoeSource this week filed for Chapter 11 protection and said it would be closing all 2,500 store locations across North America as well as its e-commerce operations. With over 16,000 jobs lost, it is one of the largest retailer liquidation to date, according to the Wall Street Journal.
...
 we need see these closings as a sign of change and heed the lessons wisely, because what "killed" all three [Moi ici: Payless, Toys R Us e a Sears] is not just Amazon or the internet, but a new business paradigm."

Ontem vi este video sobre o Revolut e N26 e é o mesmo fenómeno: "a new business paradigm". Ter especial atenção às palavras do economista Vinay Pranjivam e os trechos que se seguem, retirados de “Unlocking the Customer Value Chain” de Thales S. Teixeira.

Ontem de manhã li estes trechos:

"The Concept of Decoupling
...
Wondering precisely how disruptors were unsettling small parts of incumbents’ businesses, I turned to a basic framework that my colleagues and I teach our students: the customer’s value chain, or CVC. A CVC is composed of the discrete steps a typical customer follows in order to select, buy, and consume a product or service. CVCs vary according to the specifics of a business, industry, or product.

Traditionally, consumers completed all these activities with the same company in a joint or coupled manner.
...
What I realized, as I thought about these examples, was that disruptors had posed a threat by breaking the links between some of the stages of the CVC and then “stealing” one or a few stages for themselves to fulfill.”

Trechos iniciais retirados de "Valuable Lessons Learned From the Closing of Payless Shoes"

Temas para o futuro do retalho

• Portugueses entre os europeus que mais fazem compras em sites estrangeiros
• Ecommerce France was worth €92.6 billion in 2018
• JCPenney is quitting the appliance business as it weathers an identity crisis
• How the Apple store lost its ‘wow factor’
• Experience Will Be Everything in 2019 — Starting with Your Customer
• Why Private Label Products Will Be the Savior of Retail - importante para empresários de PMEs portuguesas
• Brick-And-Mortar Retail Is Not Dead, But Department Stores Like Macy's Sure Are
• Retailers Are Squandering Their Most Potent Weapons
• Why Retail Is Getting 'Experience' Wrong  - importante para empresários de PMEs portuguesas

Quem aproveitará?

Perspectiva interessante, o online pode estar a dar cabo das vendas nos centros comerciais norte-americanos e a promover o seu encerramento em larga escala (a densidade de centros comerciais norte-americanos é muito superior à na Europa)

Por outro lado, a economia das experiências está a promover o renascimento das lojas de rua:

"Algunos analistas de mercado lo denominan como «el renacer del comercio tradicional en los Estados Unidos». Con esta definición explican la sorprendente revitalización que está experimentando en los últimos años el comercio minorista en los Estados Unidos. Según un estudio de Credit Suisse, entre el 20 y el 25 por ciento de los grandes centros comerciales de EE. UU. cerrará en los próximos años, lo que supondrá la desaparición de entre 240 y 300 de los cerca de 1.200 existentes. Por el contario, según el banco suizo de inversión, EE. UU. experimentará un nuevo resurgir de las tiendas de proximidad."

O que faz pensar é o remate final do artigo:

"Esta renovada eclosión del retails a pie de calle supone una gran oportunidad para el sector del calzado, especialmente para aquel, como el español, que destaca por su excelente relación calidad-precio y por su diseño. Las pequeñas zapaterías que ahora están apareciendo en cada rincón de las ciudades estadounidenses necesitan diferenciarse de las grandes plataformas de distribución de zapatos mediante la selección de un muestrario original, diferente y con valor añadido. En este sentido, el calzado nacional puede ser un gran aliado de estas zapaterías de proximidad." 

Em que "prateleiras", em que feiras, em que espaços, estas pequenas sapatarias de rua vão abastecer-se com o seu portefolio de sapatos?

Quem aproveitará para trabalhar com elas na co-criação da sua oferta? E estas pequenas sapatarias frequentarão as mesmas feiras que as cadeias de sapatarias?

Trechos retirados de "El renacer del comercio minorista en los Estados Unidos, una oportunidad para el calzado español", artigo enviado pelo amigo Rui Moreira.

Também por isto sou um contrarian (parte II)

Parte I.

A propósito de "Robôs destroem 440 mil empregos na indústria e comércio até 2030" e do pormenor:

"Indústria, comércio, transportes, funções administrativas e de públicas e agricultura. Estão entre os sectores onde o impacto da automação na destruição de emprego mais se fará sentir."

Sorrio e vou buscar "Report: Retailers have zero clue what shoppers really want":

"Hey, retail executive. It’s very nice of you to suggest I speak with your robot, but no, I’ll pass. It looks like there is a fully functioning human standing in the corner of your shop. Would it really be too much trouble to speak with him instead?
...
I’m not the only one who feels like this. In a report that comes as a surprise to absolutely no one but overeager retail execs, 95% of consumers don’t want to talk to a robot when they are shopping, neither online nor in brick-and-mortar stores. And 86% have no desire for other shiny new technologies either, like artificial intelligence and virtual reality. I, for one, don’t want to pop into a store to quickly pick up that alpaca sweater I saw online, only to have some sort of weird headset shoved in my face.
...
The vast majority of retail executives believe that AI and VR will increase foot traffic and sales, but 48% of shoppers say these technologies will have zero impact on whether they visit a store, and only 14% say they will make a purchase because of these technologies. This also applies to online technologies like chatbots. Seventy-nine percent of retail execs believe that chatbots are meeting shopper’s needs by providing on-demand customer service, while 66% of consumers disagree, with many respondents noting that chatbots are, in fact, more damaging to the shopping experience than helpful."

 Até parece que a batota da interacção entre humanos passa por robôs?!?!?!?!

E recordo a economia das experiências, "The experience economy is booming, but it must benefit everyone":

"The only companies that will exist in 10 years’ time are those that create and nurture human experiences. This learning and growth will come from maximizing opportunities, including the reinvention of retail spaces, new models of engagement, and an understanding of experiences as perhaps the most important form of marketing."

Reflexões

Via este tweet:

People don’t understand or don’t want to understand that these jobs actually take us to a pattern of dependency and inequality (personal servives) more suggestive of a nonmoney economy (Simmel)https://t.co/DLVdcm6fWu

— Bruno Maçães (@MacaesBruno) January 13, 2019

Cheguei a esta figura:

Retirada de "Special Report: How vanity will save retail".

Várias reflexões:

• o texto do tweet "People don’t understand or don’t want to understand that these jobs actually take us to a pattern of dependency and inequality (personal services) more suggestive of a non-money economy" - faz-me torcer o nariz. Recordo as linhas de Antifragile de Nassim Taleb sobre os irmãos Ioannis e Giorgios, o bancário e o taxista. A estabilidade é uma ilusão. Por outro lado, já fui vizinho de um estúdio de tatuagem. E nunca fiquei com a ideia de que estava perante um escravo dos tempos modernos, mas perante um empreendedor feliz com o que fazia e capaz de escapar ao arrastão fiscal deste estado socialista (de direita e de esquerda);
• o impacte desta tendência "o facto da empresa de Amâncio Ortega também estar a ser atingida, “como todas as outras empresas, em menor dimensão, pelo fenómeno dos millennials, ou seja, a roupa deixou de ser um item prioritário e passou para terceiro lugar. Hoje viaja-se mais, procura-se um bom restaurante e só depois é que vem o apetite de comprar roupa”. Que implicações para as empresas que produziam os artigos que deixam de ser prioritários?

I rest my case!

Depois de "Para aumentar salários ... (parte I)" e de "O jogo mudou de nível! É a vida!" encontro "Sector do retalho diz que não consegue contratar". O artigo está centrado nos hipermercados, negócios baseados no custo-baixo.

Ontem de manhã cedo, 8h30, fui ao Continente do Gaiashoping e enquanto estava na fila única reparei que agora têm uma controleira a indicar qual a próxima caixa. Se estivesse com o meu parceiro das conversas oxigenadoras, a última foi muito boa mesmo, falaríamos sobre o significado da existência da controleira, um avatar de muita coisa.

Como é que Vieira Lopes comentará o artigo?

Eu, a Vieira Lopes recomendaria um outro artigo, "Retailers Are Squandering Their Most Potent Weapons":

"The Problem.
To compete with online rivals, brick-and-mortar retailers are reducing costs by cutting the number of store employees and money for training. This undermines one of their big advantages over e-tailers: knowledgeable salespeople who can help customers face-to-face.
.
The Root Cause.
Payroll is a big variable cost that can be trimmed quickly. And given the high turnover that plagues retailers, spending on training can appear to be a waste."

O artigo tem valor, é útil, embora lhe falte dar o salto de Orange para Teal (Recordar "Reinventing Organizations: An Illustrated Invitation to Join the Conversation on Next-Stage Organizations" de Frederic Laloux).

Como não recuar a Agosto de 2008 e a "A importância das pessoas para o sucesso de qualquer empreendimento" ou a Março de 2009 e a "Vendedor vs consultor de compra".

O meu parceiro das conversas oxigenadoras na passada sexta-feira por várias vezes repetiu a palavra "visibilidade". O que Vieira Lopes precisa é que alguém o ajude a transformar o custo em investimento.

Para equacionar mais cedo do que tarde

Algo que algumas empresas vão ter de equacionar mais cedo do que tarde:

"Companies increasingly use digital technologies to circumvent distributors and enter into direct relationships with their end-users. These relationships can create efficient new sales channels and powerful feedback mechanisms or unlock entirely new business models. But they also risk alienating the longstanding partners that companies count on for their core business.
...
Embrace Stealth
.
In the past, companies looking to test new business models could quietly enter a new geography free from restrictive distribution contracts that limit their ability to go direct in their traditional geographies. But that is harder to do in the digital age, as customers and partners anywhere can easily see what you’re doing online.
.
Alternatively, the company can operate in stealth mode by targeting customer segments that have been poorly served or ignored by traditional distributors.
...
Create Hooks
.
Distribution partners willingness to retaliate can be minimized if companies are able to create hooks that compel and reduce their negotiating leverage. There are many ways to build hooks, including bundling products, monopolizing a category, or developing features that are indispensable to a subset of customers.
...
Minimize Pain
.
Supporting downstream partners’ business can also reduce the risk of retaliation.
...
Digital represents a significant opportunity for many B2B companies, but also risk. Failure to act enables competitors and new entrants, while action risks retaliation from existing partners. To break this stalemate, leadership should align on the imperative to act, acknowledge the risks of action, and identify the right strategy with which to move ahead. Your long-term partners are more likely to stand by you if they see your direct-to-consumer move not as an act of aggression but as a plan for growth."

Trechos retirados de "Building a Direct-to-Consumer Strategy Without Alienating Your Distributors"

Desenhar experiências

Sem muito esforço... aliás sem nenhum esforço, três artigos sobre um tema actual: a economia das experiências e o duelo online/offline no retalho

• Disney is Pouring Billions Into its Parks--and That's Worth Studying for Every Entrepreneur

"From the moment you arrive, your Disney World experience is carefully thought out. The most minute details are covered from the design of the rides to ease of transportation.
.
By mapping out any possible scenario a guest may find themselves in, Disney World eliminates the need to overanalyze. This gives way for people to truly soak in and enjoy their time on the property.
.
When is the last time you analyzed what your customers or clients experience when working with your company? Most likely, the answer is "not often."
.
Evaluate the experience your customers have with your brand. The more you can create a memorable and enjoyable experience the likelihood of them returning as customers, again and again, goes through the roof."

• In the era of online shopping, the retail store is immersive theater

"“What I see in this store, and I hope you do too, is the most experiential and immersive expression of the Nike brand,”
...
“This is basically all about inspiration, and this will be version 1.0, call it, of what we’re doing through the personalization and customization experience,”"

• Experiential new ways of buying fine wine and spirits

"In the spirits room, whiskies from Scotland, Ireland, England and Japan are grouped by style rather than region – “fresh fruit”, “oak spice”, “smoke” – to encourage experimentation.
...
 “You can buy so many things these days ust sitting at home on the couch, so we differentiate ourselves from online by focusing on the experience,”"

O mundo a mudar

A propósito da evolução do retalho, mais uns dados:

"As compras de vestuário e calçado através de retalhistas que estão apenas na internet deverão aumentar 67,4% nos próximos cinco anos no Reino Unido, atingindo 7,5 mil milhões de libras (aproximadamente 8,6 mil milhões de euros) em 2023, representando mais de um terço das compras online de vestuário e calçado. O estudo da empresa de análise de dados GlobalData revela ainda que o crescimento das vendas de players puros online inovadores vai ultrapassar as do sector online (antecipa-se que seja de 40,3%), uma vez que os retalhistas multicanal têm dificuldade em manter-se a par das rápidas mudanças. De acordo com o estudo “Online pureplayers in UK clothing & footwear 2018-2023”, o futuro será negro para os atores da moda que não têm ainda uma forte penetração no canal digital. «Embora os retalhistas multicanal dominem o consumo online em vestuário e calçado, estão sob ameaça dos atores puramente online que estão continuamente a desenvolver a sua proposta para oferecer a melhor experiência de compra»"

Trecho retirado de "Retalho online vai dominar no Reino Unido"

Evolução do retalho

Interessantes estes números:

"The British high street suffered 2,692 store closures in the first half of 2018, according to analysis of the UK's top 500 towns compiled by the Local Data Company for PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). In contrast, there were 1,569 store openings, a decline of a third year-on-year.
.
The findings equate to an overall net loss of 1,123 stores disappearing from the UK’s streets during this period. (In the same period a year prior, there were 2,564 store closures to 2,342 openings — an overall net loss of 222 stores.) “Openings simply aren’t replacing closures at a fast enough rate,” said Lisa Hooker, consumer markets leader at PwC.
.
10 percent of store closures were fashion retailers, making it the largest business category affected. According to PwC, 269 fashion stores closed in the first half of 2018, while 165 opened.
...
“The British high street is in urgent need of new ways of thinking and new forms of retail,”"

E o tema da economia das experiências:

"clothing retailers’ troubles reflected a shift in consumer preference for online shopping and at-home leisure, as well as a change in culture towards enjoying experiences rather than buying products. While the shift has resulted in an increase of “experiential” store openings such as beauty salons, it hasn’t been enough to offset the closures of more traditional businesses." 

Trechos retirados de "UK Retail Apocalypse Deepens"

BTW, pode ser coincidência, mas:

"As vendas anuais no retalho alemão baixaram de forma acentuada em setembro, ao contrário das expetativas dos economistas, que previam um crescimento. Os gastos dos consumidores alemães diminuíram cerca de 2,6% em setembro, quando comparado com igual período do ano anterior, revela o Gabinete Federal de Estatística (Destatis) alemão, sendo que se previa um crescimento de 0,9%. Esta foi a maior quebra desde junho de 2013.
...
Os sinais de quebra foram particularmente claros no sector têxtil e vestuário, onde foi registada uma descida de 9,6% nas vendas, enquanto na alimentação, bebidas e tabaco estas desceram 3%."

Sempre Mongo

"Small independent bookstores, however, are thriving. In fact, a study at Harvard Business School found that while the number of independent bookstores plummeted 43% between 1995 and 2000, during the heyday of Barnes & Noble and Borders, it soared by 35% between 2009 and 2015.
.
Part of the reason for this trend is that book sales data tends to be shallow. Even a successful book may only sell one or two copies per location per month. That makes it difficult for algorithms to predict demand effectively. An independent bookstore with an attentive staff, however, is much closer to its customers and can often make better judgments.
.
The Harvard study found that independent bookstores thrive through a formula of community, curation and convening. Because independent bookstores are embedded in their community’s fabric, they are well placed to curate titles that appeal to their customers and convene events that strengthen those bonds, drive sales and increase their ability to curate."

Trecho retirado de "The Retail Business Is Dead. Long Live The Retail Business!"