RTIH Top 50 Retail Technology Influencers interview: Brittain Ladd
RTIH TOP 50 RETAIL TECHNOLOGY INFLUENCERS LIST SPONSOR
We recently published the RTIH Top 50 Retail Technology Influencers List. As part of a series of interviews with those who made the cut, we discuss the retail space during the Covid-19 outbreak and beyond with Brittain Ladd, a former Amazon exec and supply chain consultant.
RTIH: Congrats on making it on to the first ever RTIH Top 50 Retail Technology Influencers List. What’s does recognition as a retail tech influencer mean to you and your business?
BL: I greatly appreciate being named as an influencer.
I write articles for Forbes and other publications, and I post a significant amount of content on LinkedIn. Being named an influencer reinforces that the content I write and provide has meaning.
RTIH: How has the past year been for you?
BL: Although 2020 was a challenging year, I was able to pivot and place my focus on working with companies in the retail industry as I knew they would be under duress.
Whenever a crisis occurs, there will always be companies impacted and it's those companies that I targeted for consulting.
In addition, I focused on writing articles related to technology and strategy that could be leveraged by companies to reduce the impact of Covid.
RTIH: Who have been the big retail winners and losers during the coronavirus outbreak?
BL: Target, Amazon and Walmart are the three biggest winners.
Grocery retailers experienced increased demand for online groceries but once Covid becomes less of a threat, consumers will return to the stores.
This is already happening. Online grocery retailing has decreased by $8 billion in 2021.
The biggest losers are the retailers that have failed to understand the importance of leveraging micro-fulfilment and other strategies to make their stores essential.
RTIH: What are your retail predictions for 2021 and beyond?
BL: Urbx will become one of the hottest grocery retailers in the USA. I estimate that Microsoft, Apple and/or Tesla will build Urbx stores on their campuses.
Urbx has the potential to open thousands of stores. Instacart will become an online grocery retailer and will open a select number of stores. It's plausible that Instacart will be acquired.
Amazon will open 2,500 Amazon Fresh stores by 2030. It will open Amazon Fresh stores inside Kohl's locations; Amazon will divest Whole Foods.
Walmart has peaked and will experience a steady decline in sales through the 2020s. Amazon will become larger than Walmart by 2025. Shopify will be acquired.
RTIH: What will be the must watch retail technologies over the next year?
BL: Micro-fulfilment is at the top of the list followed by AI, machine learning and software to better personalise the shopping experience.
The wild card - a virtual reality grocery store and department store will be available between 2025 and 2030. The store will only take cryptocurrency.
RTIH: What will the retail landscape look like this time next year?
BL: There will be many, many retail stores being opened along with a large number of fulfilment centres. Mixed use retail will be more common.
