Why Customers Would Rather Have a Smartphone Than a Car ─ Relationship Retailing As an Opportunity

Why Customers Would Rather Have a Smartphone than a Car explores some of the fundamental changes in consumer behaviour: Why do we buy less in shops and more on the internet? Why do we spend more on gadgets, smartphones and apps and not more on food, holidays or clothing? Why do most business people only look at symptoms and not the causes of changing customer behaviour? The new generation buys differently from the baby boomers; they have different priorities and preferences. The internet has changed us in the way we think, act and communicate. Whilst many retailers now understand the need for change, few of them have established convincing or sustainable models for the future. Cor Molenaar argues that by understanding the drivers behind these new consumer behaviours, retailers can identify the opportunities this represents and adapt their offering accordingly. The kind of relationship retailing he advocates involves the way the retailer interacts with their customer; the new environment that they need to sustain along with their ability to relate customer data, technology and new services. The author interweaves examples from traditional and virtual retailing with his research on consumer psychology and buying behaviour to offer a sophisticated and at times challenging guide for all those involved in retailing, as well as those responsible for planning and designing social and retail space.

Cor Molenaar is Professor of eMarketing and Distance Selling at RSM/Erasmus University, and owner of consultancy bureau eXQuo consultancy. Besides consultancy he conducts workshops and gives presentations about the future of retail, the changes in society, and the impact of technology. Why Customers Would Rather Have a Smartphone than a Car builds on the themes he developed in his earlier books, Shopping 3.0 and The End of Shops, both published by Gower.