Phygital Transition (2019)

In order to better understand how retail leaders perceive this necessary transformation, what their priorities are, their challenges, and their responses, in mid 2019, Ebeltoft Group performed wide-ranging research, interviewing 150 retail executives in 10 countries through an online questionnaire and face-to-face deep interviews.
Countries covered: Brazil, Denmark, France, Italy, NL, Portugal, Romania, Spain, UK, USA.
150 retail executives share their views on their "phygital" transition. How digital is transforming the physical world, and how the integration of both can help them invent their future.
In their struggle for survival, historical retailers’ main asset is their physical anchoring, which keeps them physically close to customers and, above all, offers the advantage of a human link through store staff.
Pure players have invented incredibly powerful forms of retailing, and they keep increasing their pressure, thanks to unlimited access to financing, to massive R&D investments, and to unequalled agility.
It has been clear for many years that the future of historical retailers is phygital, a model that fully exploits the benefits of both worlds.
Not a brick-and-mortar model with a little bit of digital, but a real hybrid.
Countries covered: Brazil, Denmark, France, Italy, NL, Portugal, Romania, Spain, UK, USA.
150 retail executives share their views on their "phygital" transition. How digital is transforming the physical world, and how the integration of both can help them invent their future.
In their struggle for survival, historical retailers’ main asset is their physical anchoring, which keeps them physically close to customers and, above all, offers the advantage of a human link through store staff.
Pure players have invented incredibly powerful forms of retailing, and they keep increasing their pressure, thanks to unlimited access to financing, to massive R&D investments, and to unequalled agility.
It has been clear for many years that the future of historical retailers is phygital, a model that fully exploits the benefits of both worlds.
Not a brick-and-mortar model with a little bit of digital, but a real hybrid.