Consumer-goods and distribution executives, at ESADE, discuss the impact of digitisation on shopping

“Brick-and-mortar stores are being transformed into an app,” declared Manuel Rodríguez Contra, Vice President of Capgeminiand graduate of ESADE’s inDigital programme, at a recent session organised by the ESADE Alumni Digital Business & ICT Club, entitled “The Impact of Digitisation on the Purchasing Process”. “Consumers become frustrated if brick-and-mortar stores do not offer the same facilities as online shopping,” added Mr. Rodríguez. “The challenge traditional retailers face is to adapt their physical stores to the comfort of online shopping, thereby enriching the consumer experience.”

During the session, which focused on changing consumer habits, David Campoy, Chief Commercial Officer of Ulabox and alumnus of ESADE’s Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), noted that “today’s consumers have lost the fear of online shopping” in a way that previous generations never did. He also noted that companies have increased their digital presence, in part due to the emergence of the American e-commerce giant Amazon. “Amazon has generated fear in the traditional market, but it has also forced brands to step outside of the markets they’ve always operated in and do online sales,” commented Hans Julià, ‎E-commerce Manager at Danone.

The growing power of consumers

“A few years back, you would start a campaign on television and people would buy your products,” commented Mr. Julià. “Now, with digitisation, the customer has a voice. The brand has to listen to consumers, regardless of what surveys say.” Mr. Campoy echoed this notion: “Consumers feel that they can influence a brand’s decisions, since they have the channels to do so.”

The rise of e-commerce has also caused customers to become “label snobs” with a fixation on brands, explained Gonzalo Raventós, E-commerce Key Account Manager at Unilever. At the same time, however, they have become much more demanding: “Customers now opt for the most environmentally friendly products, or products that are very thematically specific.” Mr. Rodríguez offered a similar observation: “Customers are now looking for brand loyalty, and they want the brand to be aligned with their values.” He added: “The key for companies that sell their wares online is to engage with consumers. To do this, you have to listen to them.”