The Future of Retail podcast, hosted by Retail Doctor Group’s CEO Brian Walker, recently featured Martin Newman, a self-described “customer champion” whose four-decade journey through retail offers a uniquely valuable perspective on the retail industry’s AI evolution, and how adoption and implementation is finally transforming legacy retail – 25 years after everyone said it would.
Newman’s story is compelling in itself – beginning on the shop floor of his father’s optical practices in Glasgow, through pioneering roles launching one of Britain’s first transactional websites in 1997, to leadership positions at retail powerhouses like Harrods, Burberry, and Ted Baker. His entrepreneurial venture, Practicology, grew globally before its successful sale in 2018, cementing his credentials as someone who’s experienced retail’s transformation firsthand.
The Unfulfilled Personalisation Promise
Newman strikingly reflects on retail’s unfulfilled promises. “I first heard personalisation as a term in 1999. It was about the same time as CRM.” Fast forward by 25-odd years, and we have to wonder: How often do we buy something, or engage with a brand and have any real level of personalisation? “It really doesn’t exist in a meaningful way across the industry,” he concludes.
This observation cuts to the heart of retail’s greatest opportunity – and its most persistent challenge. Is transforming legacy retail really made more possible with AI?
While retailers have been discussing personalisation for over two decades, the promise remains largely unfulfilled for most consumers. Newman believes AI will finally deliver on this long-awaited capability, enabling retailers to provide truly tailored experiences across all touchpoints in the next five to ten years.
The Retail Doctor Group has been at the forefront of helping Australian retailers bridge this very gap – developing personalisation strategies that connect meaningfully with customers, while transforming legacy retail by leveraging emerging technologies. Our team is perfectly positioned to guide retailers through the AI-powered personalisation revolution Newman predicts.
More Power to the People
Another watershed moment Newman identified was the fundamental shift in power dynamics between retailers and consumers. “If you go back to 1994, which was when the first online transaction happened… up until that point, or even up until the late ’90s, early 2000s, as consumers, we didn’t really have the power, right? The power sat with the retailer.”
The internet changed all that, creating what Newman calls a “proliferation of choice” that empowered consumers in unprecedented ways. Today’s shoppers can abandon any unsatisfactory experience with just a few taps, accessing thousands of alternatives instantly. Yet despite this power shift, Newman believes consumers haven’t yet achieved true empowerment – something he predicts will fundamentally change in the coming decade when AI helps retailers in transforming legacy retail.
This evolving power dynamic is precisely what the Retail Doctor Group helps Australian retailers navigate – developing customer-centric strategies that acknowledge and respect consumer empowerment while creating distinctive value propositions that encourage loyalty in a choice-saturated marketplace.
Legacy vs Agility
The conversation turned to an intriguing comparison between established retailers and digital natives like Shein, Temu, and Amazon. While most established retailers have been around for a decade or more in their brick and mortar stores, Newman identified a critical disadvantage for these traditional players: “The challenge that our established big retailers have is they’ve got legacy, right? They’ve got legacy technology, they’ve got legacy systems, they’ve got legacy processes.”
Brian Walker astutely added that legacy sometimes extends to “legacy people” and “legacy debt,” highlighting how established retailers often carry multiple forms of historical baggage that limit their agility.
Newman questioned whether many current retail leaders have “the vision of what good looks like” or whether shareholder pressure for short-term results prevents necessary long-term legacy retail transformation. This analysis explains why digital-first businesses often move faster and adapt more readily to changing consumer expectations.
The Retail Doctor Group’s legacy retail transformation services address precisely these challenges, helping established retailers reimagine their businesses while respecting their heritage. Our proven methodologies for change management and digital integration enable traditional retailers to compete effectively against more nimble digital-native competitors.
Loyalty That Goes Beyond Points Programs
When discussing customer loyalty, Newman offered a refreshingly nuanced perspective: “I’ve heard people stand on stage and say that loyalty is dead. I don’t think loyalty necessarily ever really was there. I think it can be there, but I think brands have to work harder to give consumers reasons why they should keep coming back to them.”
He argued persuasively that true loyalty goes far beyond points programs, suggesting retailers should focus on creating ecosystems that encourage loyalty and give customers multiple reasons to return – from personalised communications and events to content that genuinely connects with customer interests.
Retail Doctor Group’s customer engagement framework is designed to help retailers build authentic relationships that transcend transactional interactions.
The Future Retail Landscape
Looking toward 2030, the conversation ventured into fascinating territory. Brian Walker proposed a scenario where driverless cars eliminate the need for car parks, stores become showrooms rather than inventory holders, and robot assistants provide efficient service – all while maintaining the social, community aspect of shopping.
Newman largely agreed with this vision, predicting driverless vehicles within five years and robot retail assistants within a decade. However, he emphatically stated that he “would hate to think” robots would entirely replace humans, advocating instead for a hybrid model that directly addresses skill shortages in Australian retail, yet preserves the human connection consumers demand in their retail experiences.
This balanced perspective on technology and humanity mirrors the Retail Doctor Group’s approach to retail innovation – embracing technology while preserving the human elements that make shopping meaningful.
Retail ROI… Reimagined
Apart from Newman’s forthcoming book, “ROI Reimagined,” our Future of Retail podcast continues to offer fresh frameworks for retail investment decisions. Ongoing conversations with global retail experts like Martin Newman give us tantalizing glimpses into the future of retail and transformation of legacy retail systems
The path forward for retail remains full of promise – where technology enables rather than replaces human connection, where legacy businesses can transform to compete with digital natives, and where true personalisation finally fulfills its long-promised potential. Their exchange offers both inspiration and practical guidance for retailers navigating an increasingly complex landscape.
The Retail Doctor Group’s position at the intersection of these trends – helping Australian retailers transform their operations, connect meaningfully with customers, and leverage technology while preserving human touch – makes us an invaluable partner for retailers facing legacy retail transformation challenges like these.
Our deep understanding of both retail’s timeless principles and its evolving technological landscape perfectly positions us to guide retailers through the transformations described in episode 44 of this week’s Future of Retail podcast.
Don’t miss this fascinating discussion between two retail industry leaders as they explore the delicate balance between technological innovation and human-centric retail experiences. Listen to the podcast now or click the image to watch the episode on YouTube.
The value of experienced guides becomes increasingly clear the more we navigate this rapidly evolving retail landscape. It’s going to require both vision and practical expertise, and that’s precisely what the Retail Doctor Group offers Australian retailers who’ve made the conscious decision to succeed, despite the challenges they face in retail’s evolving – yet exciting – next chapter.
Don’t miss this fascinating discussion between two retail industry leaders as they explore the delicate balance between technological innovation and human-centric retail experiences.
You can also find our podcasts on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and our website.
Contact our team of retail experts for a complimentary 15-minute legacy retail transformation consult and 3 key insights about your business now.
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