More and more surveys are saying that consumers and customers are getting more comfortable in sharing their data with retailers and consumer products companies, because they value the more personal interaction that this allows.  Today's consumers are looking for personalised, targeted communication; they want a more personal interaction with the organisations that they deal with.  And if they don't get it from their existing retailer, they will move on.  As a consequence, relationships between consumers and retailers are returning to what they were in the past.  Personal greetings, tailored promotions, understood needs and pre-filled orders were all hallmarks of retailers fifty years ago.  Even the early supermarkets were all about personal over-the-counter service.  Then we had the gradual decline towards self-service, impersonal interactions, take the money and run.  Now we are seeing the resurrection of service - real service - in so many different ways: emails that say "tailored for you" - and it is; websites that say "this was your last purchase"; promotions that say "just for you" - and it is (or at least it is perceived to be) - relevant, targeted communication that is talking to ME.

But how many retailers or consumer product companies are there yet - not nearly enough.  There are still too many websites that are at best an on-line catalogue, too many emails that are clearly a mass broadcast, too many promotions that are irrelevant to me, and too many Facebook pages that are out of date.  Best practice shows that it does not need to be this way.  Technology can facilitate the journey to that best practice.  But it is much more than just technology.  It is about having a clear strategy - what do you want to achieve, particularly around the brand experience, and how are you going to get there.  It is about having the right culture - a culture of service that has the customer at the centre of everything.  It is about having the right processes - especially supply chain visibility that allows you to deliver to promise.  And it is about leadership - a drive from the top that wants to take the business in a new direction.

The means are there to help organisations make the journey into the future - indeed in many organisations, it is just about looking at what they did in the not too distant past...