Bluepapers 2020

Read about themes such as Blockchain, Customer Engagement and Me2B.

Bluepapers of previous years can also be downloaded. Curious? Check the results page to find research in your area of interest.

Blockchain was a hype said to change the world, but what has happened so far and where are things headed? Moreover, what is the effect of blockchain on retailers? Continuing last year's research, the group of experts has examined the latest developments of blockchain and its influence on retailers. Curious about the future of blockchain? Read more in this bluepaper.

Physical and digital channels are increasingly becoming one, which results in a single customer experience. Through a combination of the right channels a 'fygital' balance can be achieved, in which the authenticity and empathy of the phsysical can be combined with the speed and comfort of the digital channels. However, how do you achieve a fygital world? The expert group customer engagement examined the challenge.

To ensure a consistent welfare, sufficient food and sufficient drinks by 2050, a turn to a circular economy is required. Within a circular economy raw materials are no longer exhausted, but re-used. This year the expert group examined the fashion industry, which originally knows a lot of raw material waste.

How can technology, and headless specifically, play a role in creating a proper omnichannel position concerning the customer journey? In the bluepaper the experts answer the question "what role does headless play in the omnichannel environment of the future?" Curious? Continue reading in the bluepaper.

An increasing amount of retailers know their way to marketplaces. Moreover, marketplaces make it relatively easy to do business on an international scale and allow to test products easily. These experts researched where marketplaces are headed and launced an online advisory tool in which relevant information for this change can be found. This allows you to resolve current challenges. Download the bluepaper and view the results of the expert group.

Brands like to personalize for the individual. Who better to ask for their digital footprint / profile, than the person themselves. By doing so, organizations get a fully consented, rich updated and 360 degree view of the consumer. In the Me2B world the individual offers to the brand private sharing access to their information in order to receive an offer. Such Me2B is unique as it enables brands to accesshigh granularity profile data, whilst individuals don’t compromise their privacy. In the bluepaper the expert group introduces Me2B, outlines the benefits of hyper-personalization and coalition of brands strategy deployment. Plus indicates how to adopt a managed transition from the traditional B2C market to Me2B.

Consumers are becoming increasingly selective towards the personalised interactions they allow. Moreover, dataprivacy regulations are an increasing challenge. Therefore, it becomes more important to push for a relevant and transparent customer experience. Artifical Intelligence offers many new possibilities to do so. The expert group researched how AI can support consumers in a relevant customer experience, which also matches the expectations of the consumer. Read the results in the bluepaper.

Trusted stores are dissapearing and consumers are moving towards online. Moreover, consumers easily switch between brands and don't mind to shop cross-border. Nontheless, consumers still enjoy to visit physical stores. It is important for brands to put the consumer in a central position. Following the BIPS-model, it can easily be analysed whether the right data is already in ones posession to use people-based marketing effectively. Read the bluepaper to find the answer to the expert group question on how the retailsector can become more relevant for consumers.

In order to manage great amounts of product information, a dedicated system for product information management (PIM) is essential. Most organizations do recognize the urgency and value of this, but the question remains as to what is necessary to jump on the train of the latest developments, like personalization and product offering. In this bluepaper, experts capture themes like personalization and high performance PIM systems and in what way they could be created and implemented. 

Consumer brands nowadays have the means to sell directly to customers. The possibilities for direct sales are bigger than ever. However, these opportunities are no guarantee for success. The availability of new distribution channels also includes new considerations. Based on experiences of experts in the field, the expert group found answers to questions like "what is the best strategic goal for direct sales?" and "what is the best possible mix of channels?" Discover the answers of these and other questions in the bluepaper.