Expert Session #1 - How retailers are buying startup solution ?

Description : Elisabeth Cunin, has more 20 years of experience as CEO of the biggest retailers in France (Camaïeu, ETAM Lingerie, Comptoir des Cotonniers, Princesse Tam Tam...).

How retailers are buying startup solution ?

Talking to fashion retailers. It is easy to get to the top but they are the small. They often do not have the money or the time.

Retailers have long history : have good location + have good products. In the past, everybody was buying at the cashier. Very predictable ⇒ mass fashion. Everything was working very well.

People working in retail were coming from the field. ⇒ very experienced based (store manager ⇒ more responsibilities)

Things are changing. Reduction of traffic : retailers know traffic won't come back.

Last thing coming : what is good for the planet. Coming around fast.

Having a good location is not enough anymore. ⇒ who cares about location today! Customers are buying from everywhere.

Products is not key anymore.

KPIs are changing. Not easy to use on a day to day business. Very disturbing; everything is changing. how to change the retail to make it work in the future?

Two big issues in the next years : 1. the planet & 2. not only the customer experience but also the employee experience.

Key issues :

• all the data around the customer. Traffic decrease is not necessary a sales decrease. Understanding the traffic. ⇒ customers going on a store and then buying online.

• all the stores vs web. ⇒ let's work together. the same client. Big change in organization and KPIs. Stores going to be multi-brand, only click and collect ? It also helps on the last mile.

• everything that goes on data is key CEO issue : supply chain, marketing, products.

Retailers are not asking themselves if they should work with startups. Question is how many, and how to make them work.

Issue is not on the digital team today. Question is : How do you work with supply chains, IT people, store people? How do retailers organize their innovations?

Use the innovative people first. it is its issue. Don't forget that person. Business people have so many things to do.

Why is it so difficult to put money on the table? ⇒ putting X amount, need to be sure to have a return. One startup is easy but multiplying is complex. Have to be careful on how to scale it.

Retailers needs to have its own champion. We need to have several champions. We need to find the ones to do the business. It has to come from the top management otherwise, it is going to be lost.

The POC will help understand something the startup can change. ⇒ They know it is part of a change process. It is adding the startups that will bring the return.

Supply Chain is not too hard because you can see the ROI impact.

Working with startup is not an issue. Issue is with working with a lot.

Retailers do not have time to change their businesses.

Don't write emails ⇒ do not even read them. Use people who have access to the CEOs. You need to go to someone you know to open doors. Have to go through a lobby.

Digital director and supply chain director at Camaieu were the people that could have pushed startups.

Very good to say that we are working with competitors. They are not pioneers. Very hard to work with startup too early.

Who to work with first? Etam, maybe Carrefour, Monoprix.

The ones that are moving : Undiz. Not being impressed by the french retailers scene. Struggling with the bottom lines on the last years.

Started to take actions in mid - 2016 only. The real need to change is not on the top of the list for many retailers yet.

1st objective: Grow your web sales. Shareholders look at retailers still in the traditional way.

Respect the world the retailers are in today. They can bring value also.

One advice : Be clear on what you want and what you expect. Have debrief sessions. Build the trusts. You need to show that we can bring something on top (avoid the "we can do it").

Example : startup to share timetables. Easy to do. Timesharing agendas. ⇒ can do things from the outside that can be done from the inside.

Key : have the sponsors dream.

Picom : pôle de competitivité industries du commerce