零售业生死之辩

    这一趋势的发展过程很有可能会引发传统零售业中从未出现过的“变体”，比如“胡萝卜暴民”。这个群体的宗旨是，通过有消费能力的优质客户奖励良好的企业行为，进而对企业施加影响，使其按照这一群体认为符合职业道德的方式经营。这种理念认为，传统的抵制商店的做法毫无效率，并且容易造成对抗。但如果对商店提供实际奖励，则可以促使它们逐渐做出改变。

    将上面的所有案例串联在一起可以看出，零售品牌所面临的全新挑战是：从优质商品或实惠价格的提供者，转变成一系列独特购物体验的策划者。这些独特购物体验将不同的消费者联系起来，同时，将消费者与商品也连接到一起。沃尔玛（Wal-Mart）的Shopycat便是很好的例子。Shopycat是沃尔玛推出的一项礼品挑选服务，可以根据礼品收件人的“喜好”和在线行为为消费者推荐礼品。

    这虽然也是一种品牌推广的形式，但更多的是通过商品的实用性来推广品牌，而不是简单的品牌标识和广告宣传；也不再是对商店品牌的定位，而是更注重投资于创新服务，随时随地为消费者提供帮助。

    或许，零售业的未来需要零售商们转变角色，变得像驴子一样，始终得围着消费者团团转，追逐消费者吊在他们面前的胡萝卜。听起来似乎不错，如果确实有利可图，那自然再好不过了。

    译者：阿龙/汪皓

    In a potentially powerful twist on this trend, there's carrotmob. This group was formed to influence corporations to behave in ways it thinks are ethical by rewarding good corporate behavior with good, money-spending customers. The idea is that the old technique of boycotting stores is negative, antagonistic, and ineffective. But rewarding them actually works to foster change.

    Linking all these examples is a new challenge for retail brands: shift from being the source of great goods or great prices, to being the curator of a unique set of experiences that connect people with each other as well as with products. A good example of this is Wal-Mart's (WMT) Shopycat, a gift-selecting service that recommends presents based on the recipients' "Likes" and online behavior.

    It's a form of branding that's a lot less about logos and advertising, and a lot more about storytelling through utility -- less about the "positioning" of a store brand, and more about investing in innovative services that help the customer wherever they are.

    So, maybe the future of retail will involve stores behaving like horses, chasing the carrots that consumers offer them. Sounds positive. And if it's lucrative, all the better.