Managing Director at Boston Consulting Group. Reflections on the Future of Supply and Demand Chain
The traditional value chain boundaries separating manufacturers and retailers are starting to blur under a digital, omnichannel setting. Brands are becoming retailers and increasingly playing an active role in the consumer Research - Shop - Buy cycle that has traditionally been the domain of retailers. We see this "direct to consumer" as a pervasive and on-going trend across numerous industry sectors. Although… Continue reading Brands are Becoming Retailers
In 2003, William Gibson wrote a prescient novel - Pattern Recognition - that explored the tension between art and mass commercialization in retailing, among other interestingly speculative themes. One area of Gibson's focus was consumer fatigue against ubiquitous brands in an increasingly global and digital market through his metaphoric protagonist Cayce Pollard - a coolhunter who experiences and uses as a consulting tool her… Continue reading Muji, William Gibson and the Future of No Brand
Michael Hu | BCG 