I hope the holiday season is proving to be good for your business. Before we know it we will be in a new year - and a new decade. The start of the 10s. So what will happen next year in the Australian retail landscape? I’ll take a stab:

1. Sex please

2010 will see the vying for customer information increase in intensity. Email continues to be a very cost-effective marketing channel and mobile will play an important role in the future. Furthermore, we are aware of the benefits of making our one-to-one customer communication relevant and therefore the importance of capturing profiling information will be a large focus. So Australian shoppers can expect to be dazzled, coerced and bribed to “opt-in” to your database.

2. What are they doing here?

We understand the strong share Amazon has of online book purchases in Australia. In 2010 we will continue to welcome new, large, experienced and aggressive competitors from offshore who will take advantage of the strong Australian dollar and underserviced appetite for Australians to buy online. Apparel, electronics, books and cosmetics are categories that will continue to lose market share to overseas retailers in 2010.

3. Dah Dahhhhhh!

We will see some significant movements in the ecommerce industry with some major brands upping their presence online, or in some cases launching their ecommerce play. This will fuel multi-channel marketing even more, which will see more marketing budgets and campaigns including digital media in a serious way.

4. Backyard blitz

Success in the multi-channel world will mean a more efficient, effective and synchronised back-end to your business. From customer data to product information, from inventory to reporting, analytics and marketing production; 2010 will see retailers invest in cleaning up their systems and content, gaining efficiencies and improvements across the business.

5. Who can you trust?

As multi-channel marketing gains momentum and the retail community continues to embrace it (IAB predicts one billion will come from retail and FMCG into online in the next four years), there will be greater demand for your online marketing dollar and endless ways to spend it. 2010 will see more clarity on channels and businesses that deliver real value for retailers. It will also be the time to ensure you have digital media expertise in-house and important future investment.

6. Multi-channel arrives

2010 will be the first year when the majority of retailers will market, sell and service across multiple channels in a synchronised way. Consistent marketing campaigns will be accessible through different media, in different ways, to targeted audiences. Customer data will start to recognise channel contact points and behaviours and respond accordingly. It should be your New Year’s resolution.

Of course, I could be wrong on all the above, but I don’t think so. What do you think? Please comment below.

Have a great holiday season, a restful and safe break, and, like me, look forward to a great 2010.

Paul Marshall

www.lasoo.com.au