Today's generations know nothing other than the free to access, free to use, lo-cost, no-cost digital world that many from previous generations still find somewhat bewildering. Especially in multi-channel retail.

The next wave of disruption doesn't require you to invest in the next 'digital' big thing, it doesn't require you to bolt new tech onto old tech, it also doesn't have the patience to wait around for decades for you and your team to think about how to adjust and adapt.

'Social commerce' will turn us all into shoppable product demos and our life into a catalogue of stylised products. It will also introduce new revenue streams, business models, marketing strategies and regulatory hurdles. Social currency is the fuel of the modern retail economy, and community is its killer app.

Businesses, especially those in multi-channel retail that operate with a fixed mindset seem to spend an inordinate amount of time, energy, and resources ensuring that any change is incremental - until Covid that is!. 

They tended to want to continue with more of the same old same old in anticipation that things will work themselves out, "last seasons product didn't go well but if we added a smaller strap here, change the colour to blue, make it longer/shorter"  it isn't a real growth strategy, and neither is it a consumer focused mindset is it?

It's all a bit like getting out that Chinese menu, studying it for 5 minutes and ordering the same thing you ordered last time!

If you are a regular reader of my blogs you will know that I write a lot about brand strategy, retail disruption and social media.

You will also have noticed that I see 2 major changes in consumer behaviour that during and post Covid will kick multi-channel retail as you have come to know into a short timeline in the disruption of retailing.

These changes are a combination of the discrete desire for millions of suppliers to want to get closer to the end customer, along with the ability for you and me to set up shop and gain access to over 3.8bn people worldwide.

So when I saw this news from the Facebook group I see the catalyst of what I've been saying for over 2 years. 

Nearly a million businesses in the UK and around the world can now set up a single online store to sell products, with no fee, on Facebook and Instagram.

The initial stage of the Facebook Shops rollout has been brought forward and extended because of Covid-19.

The stores will appear on business pages, Instagram profiles and through targeted ads.

The company has already used a no-fees approach in its Facebook Marketplace for personal classifieds.

If you thought that eCommerce was a game changer for retail then compared to this it will be a mere blip in time on the commercial landscape.

Facebook are merely following the same trend that's been taking place in China for sometime. China is leading the way, as such if you and your leadership team don't have a focus, watching brief and looking to test and trial what these huge companies are doing in the biggest market in the world then you might as well pack up now.

If you would like to discuss how you might learn, leverage and reset your 'Why' feel free to drop me a note.