Tony D'Onofrio
Blog
"Life is divided into three terms - that which was, which is, and which will be. Let us learn from the past to profit by the future, and from the present to live better in the future." - William Wordsworth
Having just moved to Europe for three years, 2013 promises to be a year of new experiences, possibilities, and opportunities to shape the future. Timely that this move was at the beginning of a new year.
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This week's post was inspired by a recent article in "Fortune" magazine where Steve Jobs and Sam Walton were compared and contrasted by their biographers Walter Isaacson and John Huey (1). Walton and Jobs were born in different eras, had very diverse backgrounds, pursued different paths to success, failed a few times along the way, and all while still chasing their career zenith by the end of their lives. In this post, we will discuss the ONE thing they both had in common that ultimately made them superstars in their respective fields.
Let's start with some quotes from both Sam Walton and Steve Jobs.
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As we are near the end of 2012, let's start this week's discussion by revisiting the Apparel Magazine 2013 RFID retail predictions that were published in the October personal post "RFID's Moment of Retail Truth" (1):
2013 will be the year of the "Specialty Retailer" with a noticeable proliferation of RFID implementations.- Details
"Fools ignore complexity. Pragmatists suffer it. Some can avoid it. Geniuses remove it." Alan Perlis (*)
Last week's post was focused on predicting the 2013 top 10 retail trends for retail. This week want to expand this discussion with some additional insights from some other sources on how technology continues to add both complexity and opportunity to our mutual futures.
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"With high hopes for the future, no prediction is ventured." - Abraham Lincoln
On March 4, 1865, the above words were spoken by Abraham Lincoln in a short, yet very powerful speech given on the day of his second inauguration as President of the United States. As backdrop to this speech, Lincoln had just won a major legislative win in passing the 13th Constitutional Amendment abolishing slavery (as dramatically depicted in the current Steven Spielberg movie) and the Civil War raged on taking over 620,000 lives (the most of any war in USA history) by the time it ended in April 1865. The same month the war ended, roughly one month after this speech, Lincoln was assassinated.
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"51% of (consumer) respondents said that, in the next eight years (by 2020), they expect retail locations to be showrooms for selecting and ordering products." - CapGemini Study (*)
As a follower of both technology and retail, this is the season to think about what gadgets need to be on the holiday shopping list.
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"Individuals score points, but teams win games." - Zig Ziglar
Have you ever been part of a highly motivated team breaking through cross functional barriers with everyone wanting to assist in accomplishing a clear mission targeted at delivering clear results? That breakthrough moment when all the team members are pitching in new ideas and each of those ideas builds great content that everyone buys into to the next level of success. These "can do" euphoric moments do happen and what you are experiencing is that great feeling of being on a winning team.
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This week's favorite post is all about communications. It is a great reminder that communications is one of the most critical elements for the success or failure of any business. It is also the key component for a satisfying and fulfilling personal life with family and friends.
· Favorite post from this past week: From Harvard Business Review "The Silent Killer of Big Companies" ow.ly/eOUhq
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"Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future." -- John F. Kennedy
Life is either an adventure where you explore opportunities to take advantage of all the changes around you or it is bystander sport where you sit there and watch it going by. My favorite post this week was another reminder on the accelerated pace of change we are all experiencing.
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This week's favorite post was a reminder of one of the initial books that started my personal journey in trying to decipher future technology and retail trends by tracking key global indicators and industry influencers. The title of this blog is actually from a quote in John Naisbitt's book Megatrends. His exact words were that "we are drowning in information but starved for knowledge". There are multiple parallels between this past week's favorite post, Naisbitt's book, and emerging retail data trends.
Favorite Post this past week: The Mega-Trends That Are Changing Retail Forever. http://ow.ly/erxlQ- Details
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It is a Small World
“Even monkeys can fall from their trees.” – Japanese Proverb
Continuing our global learning journey, our next stop is Tokyo Japan. Founded, in 1603, this city was once a small fishing village called Edo. In 1890, it became Tokyo which means Eastern Capital in English.
In Tokyo, you will find the world’s busiest intersection, the Shibuya crossing where 2,500 people cross the intersection, every time the lights turn green. This city also holds the record for the most Michelin starred restaurants at 212 places to enjoy amazing food.
Tokyo is the most populous city in the world with 37 million people. Uniqueness is everywhere, even in vending machines, where you can buy hot meals, fresh produce, and even umbrellas. There is one vending machine in the city for every two people.
Have lost count on the many times I visited Tokyo to experience their modern retail industry. This picture is from the New Otani Hotel gardens, a favorite during multiple visits.
As the Japanese proverb that opened this summary reminds us, no matter how accomplished we become, you can always make a mistake. Overconfidence can lead to missteps. Life is one sweet ride and Japan provides many reminders on how to enjoy it.
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Brilliant Research
Deloitte Global Retail Outlook 2024
After a prolonged period of suppressed consumer spending, macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty, and rapid changes in consumer behavior (among other things), the global retail industry stands at a crossroads; forced to make decisions about long term investments in new technology and business models while at the same time managing the rising cost of doing business and a decline in the spending power of consumers. - From Deloitte Insights Read more
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In 2024, a record 4.7 billion people are projected to travel by air—200 million more than in 2019. While revenues surged to an estimated $896 billion globally last year, airlines face extremely slim margins. On average, they made just $5.44 in net profit per passenger in 2023. Today, the industry faces pressures from high interest rates, supply chain woes, and steep infrastructure costs. - From Visual Capitalist
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