Retailing In The Recession: Playbook #1 - Through The Looking Glass
Brought to you by The Store—WPP
THIS report is the first in a series of
Playbooks to help retailers and brand
marketers succeed in today’s
unprecedented global financial and
economic crisis.
A playbook should be filled with rules,
regulations and directions deemed
immutably correct by experience.
The problem, of course, is that experience
is inadequate for today’s challenges.
Some venerable financial institutions
have suddenly disappeared. Others have
received protection from governments
known for the promotion of free markets.
Consumers recently hungry for premium
goods now are on a spending diet.
Inflation is reversing to deflation.
We seemed to have passed through
the looking glass.
We have entered a place where useful
advice can not be formulaic, where
a playbook in the traditional sense is
anachronistic and insufficient, but where
guidance is required more than ever.
Although little is certain in this global
economic turmoil, we know this for sure:
It will end. Many of today’s retailers and
suppliers will be history. Most will simply
survive. A select few, however, will fall
into a third category. They will emerge
stronger—because they seek opportunities
where survivors see only challenges. This
vision requires intelligence and invention.
That’s where we come in. Using the
unparalleled insight and resources of
The Store —WPP, these Playbooks will
identify and analyse what’s working and
what’s not in retailing and brand marketing
worldwide. They are intended to help
stimulate and focus conversations among
WPP experts and clients; conversations
that translate Playbook insights into
actions to gain competitive advantage.
We begin this first Playbook with
a strategic summary. It explains today’s
retailing weakness as act one in a three
act drama. This perspective helps inform
both immediate and long-term activities.
The strategic summary is followed by
insights into consumer behaviour, key
take-aways for retailers and suppliers,
and selected action items.
For additional in-depth information,
check out three recent webcast Fast-Track
Briefings about Retailing in the Recession
produced recently by The Store —WPP.
Learn how to view the complete webcasts
at the end of this report.
These regular webcasts, podcasts,
and the quarterly Playbooks are part
of The Store —WPP commitment to
sharing best retail practice worldwide and
its promise to deliver honest, current, and
useful insights to help clients succeed in
the challenging and rapidly changing state of retailing worldwide.
Download the Playbook (pdf, 790Kb)
DAVID ROTHCEO The Store — WPP
Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia
david.roth@wpp.com