The elements of Retail 3.0 — marketing personalization, contextual relevancy and customer data-fueled brand-retailer collaboration — have largely become part of our reality. Up to this point, the changes that came to pass in the retail industry were largely evolutions of previous changes. Retail 4.0 will be different; the digital transformation of retail will prove to be breathtaking in its scale, scope and speed.
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated industry development while sending it careening in new directions. Retail 4.0 promises to be a near-total transformation in how people shop, how retailers operate, how products are distributed and how brands manufacture and market.
