The Times They Are a Changin

In a recent report Goldman Sachs stated that etail will outpace traditional retail before 2020. I think this comes as no surprise to any of us. The real game changer though is what will etail 2020 look like? Will it be like Amazon today or more like Vente-Privee Europe’s fastest growing e-tailer and model for Gilt and Rue La La or entirely different.

How will the current drive for narrower selection at big box retailers conflict with the long tail offerings of the internet?

How will retailers pushing elimination of 3rd party vendors in order to achieve higher profit margins contrast to those same vendors eliminating the retailer and selling direct to the public online?

Where will the consumer go to touch and feel the products they want to purchase – how can the two dimensional (price and description) online experience ever compare to the 3 dimensional live experience?

I will dig into these questions but would love to hear any thoughts and ideas on what etail 2020 will look like.

By Allan Levy| April 1st, 2010