8,000 to 2,000 BC – Neolithic Period

Neolithic Shopper

The innovations in, and subsequent formalization of agriculture during the Neolithic Period, some 8,000 years ago, provide the platform for the second evolutionary and giant step for humanity and shopping.

Once hunter/gatherer societies became efficient, settled agriculturists, developing agri tools, domesticating animals etc., then resources could be employed outside of a survival agenda and humankind could move on to produce surpluses for sale or exchange.

This, in turn, generated an infrastructure of distribution and trading centers from which a merchant class emerged. That process which today we call product specialization, supply chain and globalization had begun.

2,000 BC to 1600 – Early Trading

Money

Trade (the production and distribution of agricultural produce and made goods) in the then developing world, grew rapidly.

Much of this trade was conducted by the barter system, but as a greater diversity of goods became available and therefore tradable, another value method was needed. Hence the introduction of ‘money’ which in its various forms is the foundation for our third retail era.

Money in the form of coins, beads, shells or cuneiform and much else, became the recognized liquidity fueling trade and the subsequent shopping experience. And it is money, as a universal medium of exchange, which has evolved as the oxygen of the entire retail experience.

1700 to 1900 – 18th and 19th Centuries

Mass Production

The inventions, innovations and entrepreneurship of the Industrial Revolution in the two centuries between 1700 and 1900 had a profound effect on the social and retail landscape, transforming it forever. industrialization brought into existence inexpensive, mass-produced commodities and products, previously unavailable to a majority.

The distribution of these new products required a new retail approach, which brought into existence speciality shops, urban galleria and department stores.

As the new specialized, better-organized retail formats emerged, steadily replacing the informal market trader, these new ‘shopkeepers’ as they became known, employed shop fronts with their proprietor’s name above the door – trust and brand identity had been born.

1901 to NOW – 20th and 21st Centuries

Modern Shopping

In the great sweep of social and retail history, the ‘modern’ shopping experience can be said to have commenced with the appearance of the department store in the middle of the 19th century. For the first time, thousands of disparate goods could be gathered together and shopped for at a single destination.

Early forms of entertainment and hospitality were woven into the format so that shopping as a leisure activity became a part of the shopping experience. Since then format has followed format – from department store to supermarket to shopping center and hypermarket with much else in between.

And now, online and digital shopping enabled by the internet which will utterly transform the retail landscape and dramatically change the citizen consumers role within it.

2018 to 2022 – The Future

Third Era of Digital Retail

While the future will be more digital, it will seem more human. There will be more emphasis on a more seamless, intuitive experience driven by new technologies in voice, facial recognition, artificial intelligence and data analytics.

Retail and brands will develop new ways and services to enhance the overall experience. Retail will evolve to a cashless, staffless, and seamless environment with greater personalization, value and loyalty.