Pirms dažādu secinājumu apkopošanas gribētu izskaidrot vārdu „krīze”. Un to vēlos izdarīt ar Jeff Jarvis, grāmatas „What Would Google Do?” autora piedāvāto skaidrojumu: „We are going through something more than a financial crisis and more profound and permanent than a recession. We are shifting from the industrial era – and the age of mass production, distribution, marketing, and media – to what follows, a society built on knowledge and abundance. We are seeing the collapse of the auto, banking, and newspaper industries and large swaths of the the rest of media, retail, real estate, and others to follow. We’re not going to go back; the change is bigger and more fundamental than that.”
http://www.buzzmachine.com/2009/06/30/google-on-google/)

Tātad izmaiņas ir milzīgas. Un ir tikai viena izvēle – mainīties un izdzīvot vai nemainīties un mirt :) Laikraksts „The New York Times” vairākos rakstos ir piedāvājis esošās situācijas analīzi. Šeit neliels izvilkums ar, manuprāt, svarīgākajiem punktiem: - some of the nation’s biggest retailers are seizing the moment to reinvent their business strategies. And the impact will mean both sweeping changes in the merchandise on their shelves and subtler alterations, like how many pantyhose to keep in stock; - one of the biggest changes consumers are likely to see is greater personalization and regionalization of merchandise; - consumers will have fewer brands from which to choose; - consumers will also see even more of the exclusive collaborations between retailers and prominent designers that are so prevalent today. That will help distinguish stores as well as avoid price wars because the same items will not be sold at multiple chains; - appliance research centers with computers are enabling customers to compare local competitors’ prices; - despite all the new technology, consumers will be getting more attention from sales staff.
(http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/20/business/20retail.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&em
un
http://arieff.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/01/rethinking-the-mall/)

Papildinājums šim rodams portālā „AOL -> Money & Finance”: „Consumers have trimmed household budgets and postponed buying cars, major appliances and other big-ticket items. Yet they still are willing to shell out for small indulgences and goods that make life more comfortable at home, where they are spending more time. Recession shoppers also are drawn to items that make them feel safe, both personally and financially. (..) There's a general tendency to trade down, according to Leo J. Shapiro & Associates, a consulting firm in Chicago. That means eating dinner at the kitchen table instead of restaurants, buying used cars and shopping at do-it-yourself auto parts stores. It means spending less on clothes.”
(http://money.aol.com/article/hot-products-even-in-a-recession/486229)

Viss iepriekšminētais vairāk attiecas uz patērētāju paradumu analīzi, bet ko tad darīt tirgotājam? Man vislabāk patīk veikalu vides ekspertes C.B.Whittemore ieteikums, kas balstīts viņas pieredzē un novērojumos: „When I do go shopping - as I did when my parents visited a few weeks ago and my mother insisted that we go to a mall - I find that my tolerance is more limited than ever before. Fighting for a parking spot fills me with dread. Pushing against crowds makes me want to bolt directly to the Internet. And, having to process the onslaught of mostly unappealing and undifferentiated merchandise reduces me to a puddle of hostile passivity. It's not good. It needs to change. Retail needs to recapture the magic that comes from bringing people and products together in an unforgettable in-store experience that truly engages shoppers, turning them into loyal buyers and enthusiastic fans.”
(http://flooringtheconsumer.blogspot.com/2009/07/change-and-retail-experience.html)

Tas nozīmē, ka veikaliem šis ir patiess izaicinājumu laiks, kad jāpiedāvā kas vairāk par vienkāršu iepirkšanos. Ir jāpiedāvā piedzīvot iepirkšanos un zīmolus. Ko dara Rīgas lielveikali? Manā skatījumā tie liek uzsvaru uz jauniem pakalpojumiem, kas iepriekš nav tikuši piedāvāti, bet varētu būt saistoši. Un kāpēc lai potenciālais pircējs tos nemeklētu lielveikalos, pie reizes atceroties, ka jānopērk vēl kas vai ieraugot kaut ko skatlogā rodas motivācija to nopirkt? Piemēram, tirdzniecības parkā „Alfa” darbojas kinoteātris; tirdzniecības centrā „Spice” ir lauku labumu tirdziņš; uz „Stockmann” var aizbraukt pa Rīgas pilsētas kanālu ar koka kuģīti; „Sky & More” piedāvā iepirkties kopā ar suņiem. Protams, kur nu bez izpārdošanām, kas gan laikam, jāatzīst, vairs nav nekas neparasts un uzmanību piesaistošs. (Šajā sakarā pozitīvs piemērs ir veikals „Boards.lv”, kas „Izpārdošanas” vietā piedāvā „Izspārdīšanu”) Vai šāda stratēģija ir pareiza vai varbūt tomēr nepieciešamas vēl lielākas pārmaiņas un aktīvāka rīcība, tas acīmredzot taps skaidrāks ilgākā laika periodā.