Smart Shoppers, Smart Phones,… Smart Teams?

Recently, Sam’s Club CEO Brian Cornell spoke to a group of about 400 suppliers about the new normal in retailing.  One of his points was on how shoppers’ behavior has changed in recent years.  This included things driven by a down economy (eating/entertaining at home, DIY projects to refresh your living space, etc.) but it also included things driven by the availability of technology and social networks.  Shoppers’ want to be smart in their purchases – so they’re using user groups, live chats, and other mobile apps in-store as they shop to help them in their purchasing decisions as they consider price, performance, features, etc. of products in every category.
 
The conversation played forward in my mind on possible parallels for what this means for supplier teams.  If collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity are working for the shopper – and that makes them “smarter” and better equipped for decision-making, wouldn’t that also hold true for supplier teams serving Walmart & Sam’s Club, and their shopper?  Over the last 18 months, we’ve worked with dozens of teams that are wrestling with the new normal.  And while the pendulum is swinging back toward the “old normal”, it’s still a new economy, a new shopper,… a new day.  That means new methods, new thinking, and new ways to work are required to win.   
 
How about your team?  Are you getting smarter?  Do you want to do what it takes to get smarter?  That just might be the first place to apply some collaborative and critical thought.

By Chuck Hyde, CEO