Anyone who recalls that brief time period where it was possible to realise savings in the realm of 50 percent by purchasing online as opposed to in a retail store might have quite naturally predicted the demise of retailing.
In some instances, this was indeed the case, but major retailers, after a period of denial, followed by laments about the unfair advantage Internet retailers enjoyed, eventually came to the conclusion that their existence depended not on resisting the new retailing reality, but in embracing that reality.
Traditional retailers have adapted to the possibility of blending the two approaches in order to participate in the online marketplace. This has actually tilted the balance somewhat in their favour, as solely online merchants can never offer customers the hands-on experience of a product and even next day delivery does not supply the instant gratification possible with an in-store experience.
This co-joining of online with brick-and-mortar and how best to deploy the strategy is one of the subjects of the sixth Online Retailer Conference & eCommerce Expo 2014 that will be held at the Royal Hall of Industries and Hordern Pavilion in Sydney.
Attendees can hear more than 50 domestic and international speakers and participate in conferences dealing with various topics, including website design for mobile devices, identifying emerging markets, blending the traditional retail store with the digital environment and other similar areas.
Scheduled to make presentations at the conference are Dr. Nadia Shouraboura from Hointer and the social media manager of Quicksilver, Aaron Cardwell.
Local retail experts that will be speaking include John Winning of the Winning Group and the director of online strategy for Masters, Julie Mathers.
Based on the concept that consumers are likely to make more comparative investigations prior to making a purchasing decision, the conference runs for three days from 21-23 July, 2014.