The retail industry was already in the midst of unparalleled disruption—then came COVID-19.
One anomaly of the pandemic is Amazon: While 12,000 retail stores closed in 2020, Amazon continues to open stores. “Perhaps the best example, that the pandemic absolutely accelerated,” say Kahn, “was this idea of ‘buy online, pick up in the store.’ That idea is that you’ll shop online, you’ll search online, and you’ll order what you want to order. Then you’ll go to the store and pick it up in your car, very conveniently. To me, that’s an example of the seamless integration, omnichannel experience from the customer perspective, and that’s what is going to emerge when we come out of the pandemic.”