By Susan Olivier, Vice President for Consumer Goods – Retail, Dassault Systèmes
This year is bound to be one of tremendous change in the consumer goods and retail industry. The rise of mobile and social technologies has given consumers access to more information and a new set of influencers. While this creates a need for retailers and brands to keep up, it also gives them unprecedented access and insight into rapidly changing consumer tastes, behaviors and trends.
To take advantage of the opportunities that lie ahead in this changing consumer landscape, we need to examine the technology that acts as the catalyst for these changes and how it will enhance not only the design and development processes, but also the customer experience.
Focus on Platforms for Product Innovation
One such change will be an increased focus on a product innovation platform. Retailers are in a state of constant innovation and change, having to come up with new ideas while integrating feedback from customers into existing products. In order for retailers to quickly adjust within this rapidly changing environment, they need to know where everything is in that cycle and how to maximize sales and development, rather than just manage the details of bringing something through its lifecycle. When retailers have this end-to-end view of their business, as well as an ability to drill down into the product details of a given collection, they can make more informed decisions that better impact their bottom lines.
Alignment of Best Practices
We’ll also see an alignment of best practices between the fashion and durable goods sides of the business. Historically, the fashion industry has been dominated by tradition rather than innovation. But now it’s becoming increasingly interested in the power of virtual technologies – how visualization and simulation can bring efficiency to the development process without sacrificing the integrity of a design.
Meanwhile, durable goods are starting to develop products that work together in a collection, like a bicycle retailer that also sells apparel, gear and accessories to go with it. With each taking best practices from the other, we’ll start to see a more seamless and efficient delivery of goods throughout the entire industry.
Social Engagement
Social innovation will also have a greater impact in how products get conceived and brought to market by allowing consumers to play a larger role in the process from start to finish. Consumers want to have a voice, and today they have more channels than ever before through which they can express that voice. In opening these channels, retailers and brands are offering consumers ways to actually have a hand in configuring their products. Retailers can quickly share feedback received in-store directly with design teams, enabling them to react quickly and incorporate that feedback into new products. In doing so, brands can invite consumers into the design process, spurring loyalty and personalizing shopper experiences in the process.
New technologies will not only begin to shift the design, development and display of consumer goods, but it will also change the way consumers perceive themselves within this development process. Retailers and brands will have a more direct understanding of what the consumer wants and an ability to deliver on that knowledge with unparalleled efficiency. What consumers will experience as a result is a more personalized, engaged shopping experience powered by virtual technology.
To learn more about how Dassault Systèmes is working with the Consumer Goods & Retail industry, visit our My Collection for Fashion, My Product Portfolio, and My Store solution landing pages. We also have a collection of customer stories and videos in our Resource Center.
[cf]skyword_tracking_tag[/cf]
