You didn't think they would stop at online did you.......
Rumours have been circulating for a while now about Amazon's next move in the physical retail sector and this latest article from Forbes points firmly in the direction of Department Stores - albeit scaled down from what would traditionally be a retail "anchor"
At a time when over 80% of UK department stores have closed this should be considered a very bright silver lining to the cloud that hasn't shifted from the retail sector in a while for all of us (with the exception of those who prefer their hats to be made out of Bacofoil).
The fact that this sector disruption has come from e-commerce rather than traditional bricks and mortar operators probably shouldn't come as a shock but it still has to be acknowledged and admired albeit its been obvious to the initiated that the future really was about data all along...
I could get quite excited about shopping if I start to think about a cashier-less and entirely personalised shopping experience which will of course circle back a further layer of customer information to improve future connections.
So maybe Retail isn't dead after all... but you didn't believe that either... did you ?
The move to brick-and-mortar stores also allows Amazon, long known for its focus on data and personalization, to collect even more data about its customers.