Think Tank: Hey Alexa, Consumers Don’t Want to Talk to a Robot When Shopping

How, where and why we shop are all changing. And these changes are not only altering our expectations and experiences, but also reshaping the entire retail industry. In this environment of constant change, many retailers are struggling to keep up. This was evident in a recent study NetSuite conducted with Wakefield Research and The Retail Doctor, a retail consulting firm created by expert consultant and business mentor Bob Phibbs, that found retailers and shoppers are simply not on the same page. The disconnect between what retailers thought they were delivering to the consumer and what consumers thought they were getting back was eye-opening. The study found disconnects in areas spanning the overall retail environment, social media, personalization and the use of emerging technologies — chatbots, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, etc. Let’s take a closer look at some of the most notable disconnects and what we can learn from them. Brick-and-Mortar Is Not Dead While many things are changing, it is important to note that some things are staying the same: physical stores still matter. In fact, 97 percent of consumers surveyed say they still enjoy going into physical stores, specifically to shop for groceries, clothes, shoes and furniture. That doesn’t mean business as usual though. Consumer

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