Technology and Retail: In Times of Change You Have to Get to Know Your Customers

Retailing has traditionally been a concept involving sound buying policy, good business premises and finding the right (sales) location. With its origins in the mobile retailing trade of the Middle Ages, ¹ this developed into the shops of the nineteenth century and finally converged into department stores and shopping streets at the start of the twentieth century. The latter phase, now only 40 years old, involved a concentration of shops into shopping centres with pedestrianised areas. Retail is constantly evolving into new concepts in order to attract customers and to supply products that the customers want. After all, if the customer has no interest, the shop will not sell anything. It’s as simple as that.