ONLINE V BRICK AND MORTAR RETAILERS IN AUSTRALIA

In reviewing the future of the retail store, the assignment will project the growth of the online markets against the bricks and mortar stores. The Future of the Retail Sector With the growing hypes around the digital and online platforms, especially in the business world, the general notion is that the bricks and mortar stores are almost ‘outdated. ’ Such an assumption blurs the factors that distinguish facts from fictions (Birchfield, 2010, p. According to Buxton (n. d. In addition to building online markets, most products offered on these websites by the traditional brick-and-mortar stores are from their inventories. This strategy is used to avoid ‘self-cannibalization’ between the online and physical retail channels (New Media Age, 2003). The physical stores have also resorted to offering subscription services.

In 2007, Amazon launched the “My Subscription” service to have a foothold in the sales of various basic consumer products. With subscription services, the Web retailers pose threats in retail areas that were already considered safe from online competition. ) asserted that the future of the country’s retail industry requires both multiplicity and agility of delivery platforms to ensure that the non-responsive retailers are left behind. Rebel Sport’s Current Operation In a Sky News Business film in which Rebel Sport’s Managing Director, Berchtold Erica, and Salt Bernard discussed the same issues under the topic, The Next 5 Years; Salt explained that the country’s retail is primarily driven by the physical stores, and technology (online stores) is one of the disruptions that appear to be shaping the country’s retail sector.

In the news footage, Berchtold - who many Australians consider as one of the leaders changing the country’s landscape – discussed the reimagining the company to improve its response to the needs and wants of the customers. She explained that Rebel Sport’s latest plan to reimagine one its branches in Sydney was aimed at creating an ecosystem in the store by displaying the products (sportswear) according to what the customers do with them. For example, the company decided to have running footwear, accessories, and apparels in one place, rather than displaying them by categories. In his article, Newlands (2017) discussed various ways through which companies can use the internet technologies to improve their overall productivity, and Rebel Sport can follow the suit.

One set of the internet technologies that the company can use to improve its effectiveness is the chatbots. Not only have they replaced the traditional lengthy and frustrating questions, but also improved customer service, which is the bane of any business’s existence. With Rebel Sport’s current and future operations geared towards improving customer experience, it is just the right time to adopt chatbots. In addition to answering the FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions), chatbots now allow customers to make reservations, place orders, and seek tech support, among other services. Companies do not have to solely rely on their workforce alone when seeking knowledge on any activity they need. For that reason, Rebel Sport can use the online contracting and outsourcing tools to hire contractors outside the company to help with creating a marketing campaign or building a bot.

The internet now has focusing tools, which companies can use to boost their workforce’s concentration. One of the major drawbacks of having much access to internet information at the workplace is that it can foster distraction in employees, especially if they spend much time on online shopping or social media. Fortunately, internet innovators have designed website blockers and tools such as the SelfControl extension and Pomodoro timers, respectively, which Rebel Sport can use to control its workforce’s engagement with the internet. DIGITAL MARKETING : Going Digital - Marketing's big makeover: Digital marketing has burst onto the commercial scene with almost improper haste and impact. New Zealand Management, p. Buxton, n. d. Brick and Mortar Stores are the Future of Retail.